Asia/Pacific News
Tanker Fire Impacts Operations at Petronas Facility
MISC Berhad (MISC) said today a fire broke out aboard its 38,000 dwt chemical tanker, Bunga Alpinia at approximately 2.30am while it was alongside the Petronas Chemicals Methanol terminal in Labuan, East Malaysia.
According to the press release the vessel was loading methanol when the fire broke out.
MISC said there was one confirmed fatality in the incident, 4 crew are missing, and the remaining 24 crew members "are ashore, are safe and unharmed."
A Hotline has been set up for affected family members wishing to obtain more information.
Local reports said the fire was started when lightening hit the Port Klang registered vessel, with 1,000 tonnes of fuel still said to be contained within the ship's tank.
Operations at the plant, which has the capacity to produce 700,000 metric tonnes of methanol a year, were said to have been impacted by the incident with operations unaffected at the larger second plant at the Labuan facility, which has a 1.70 million metric tonne per year production capacity.
