Fire breaks out on ship in East Johor Straits; all crew members safe

SINGAPORE: A fire broke out in the engine room of a ship in the East Johor Straits on Monday morning (Oct 21), with all 22 crew members reported to be safe.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it was alerted to the incident on the Malta-flagged MED ATLANTIC, which was within Singapore waters, at about 10.30am.
An MPA patrol craft, two Police Coast Guard craft, three Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) marine firefighting and rescue vessels and two tug boats were deployed.
SCDF said about 30 marine firefighting specialists from Brani Marine and West Coast Marine fire stations responded to the incident.
“Upon arrival, SCDF used a water monitor to cool the exterior of the vessel,” it said in a Facebook post at about 2.30pm.
“Cooling of the vessel’s exterior is known as boundary cooling, this helps to reduce the temperature of the vessel’s metal structure.”
MPA said all 22 crew members of the tanker have disembarked and are reported to be safe with no injuries.  The ship is currently anchored.
“There is no disruption to vessel traffic in the area,” said the authority in a news release. “MPA is issuing navigational broadcasts for passing vessels to keep clear of the incident area.”
It added that the Singapore Food Agency is monitoring the situation closely and has advised fish farms in the area to take the necessary precautionary measures.
In an update on Monday night, SCDF said that the fire involved the vessel’s exhaust funnel, adding that the cause of the blaze is under investigation. 
Damping down operations are ongoing, SCDF said in a Facebook post at about 9pm, referring to the use of water to wet burnt surfaces to prevent any rekindling of the fire.