Shipwreck Log

On the morning of August 8, the 118 meter long, 7631 dwt tanker GT Unity (IMO: 9507506) caught fire in South China Sea some 104 nautical miles south-southeast of Con Dao, Vietnam. The GT Unity was en route to Dung Quat from Malaysia with a cargo of 3800 tons of crude oil when a fire started in the vessel’s engine room. The blaze was started after an electrical short and quickly grew out of control. The crew contacted Vietnam authorities which requested other nearby vessels to assist as it sent out a rescue vessel to the scene.

Initial reports stated that 16 of the 20 crew on board the GT Unity had been evacuated off the vessel. One crew member was injured and taken by a rescue vessel back to shore.  The owner of the GT Unity was asked to secure additional vessels and fire fighting equipment.

Later reports stated that all crew off the GT Unity were rescued and the fire had been extinguished.  The extent of damage of the fire was not disclosed.