Tanker on Fire Off Malaysia; Three Missing

KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 (Reuters) – Three crew members of a Gabon-registered tanker were missing after the vessel caught fire on Monday in waters off Malaysia’s southern coast, Malaysian maritime authorities said.

The tanker was on its way from China to Singapore with 28 crew members on board, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said, adding that 23 were rescued by the MMEA and by nearby vessels. 

The MMEA said it commenced search and rescue operations after receiving an alert at 1600 local time about a tanker on fire.

The cause of the incident was under investigation, the maritime agency said.

In a separate statement, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore identified the vessel as ‘Pablo‘. 

Pablo Union Shipping, the Marshall Islands-based owner of the vessel according to shipping databases, could not be located for comment. The vessel’s insurers were unknown.

(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi and Rozanna Latiff in Kuala Lumpur, Xinghui Kok in Singapore, Jonathan Saul in London; Editing by Susan Fenton)