On January 24, the 55 meter long general cargo vessel Mentari Pratama caught fire while berthed in Surabaya, Indonesia. The vessel was docked at a repair yard when a welder’s gas cylinder exploded. Three men were injured and taken to hospital for burns. Local fire fighters were able to bring the resulting blaze under control an hour later. Part of the Mentari Pratama’s superstructure was scorched by the fire.
The 90 meter long, 4577 dwt tanker Run Guang 9 caught fire and exploded off Zhanjiang, China. The Run Guang 9 was en route to Zhanjiang from Zhuhai in ballast when one of the tanks caught fire and exploded. Twelve of the 14 crew on board were rescued with 3 sustaining injuries. Zhanjiang authorities were able to extinguish the blaze on the run Guang 9 and take control of the vessel. Two crew members were reported as missing and rescuers were still searching the vessel and the nearby area.
The 230 meter long LNG tanker DL Calla suffered an explosion off Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. The tanker with its 23 crew was en route from South Korea to Thailand when it had a cargo leak resulting in the explosion. The explosion caused minimal damage to the vessel, but two crewmen were injured and two others perished from severe burns. The remaining crew was able to extinguish the fire by the time Malaysian authorities arrived on scene. Reports state the DL Calla continued its journey to Thailand under its own power.