Vessels along the Singapore Strait are now on the lookout for six crewmen who went missing following a collision between a freighter and a chemical tanker yesterday night.
At 8.14pm, just 11km north-west of Batam, the Thorco Cloud freighter (bearing the Antigua and Barbuda flag) crashed into the Cayman Islands-registered tanker Stolt Commitment, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Though the tanker only sustained minor damage, the freighter itself sank, bringing down its 12-member crew along with it.
Search and rescue operations were immediately conducted by the MPA, with the help of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Police Coast Guard. The Coast Guards managed to rescue five of the crew members while a sixth one was extricated by the chemical tanker. They have since been conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for treatment.
MPA has issued an alert to Indonesian authorities as well as navigational broadcasts to vessels in the vicinity to keep clear of the area. Operations are still ongoing for the other six crew members.
