At least two people died and another was injured on Tuesday after a fire broke out aboard the bulk carrier Mandy (IMO: 9582831), off the coast of China's Shandong province.
The Singapore-flagged vessel—which had been travelling en route from the Kamsar Anchorage in Guinea, West Africa—suffered an engine room fire close to 8 PM (local time), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.
It added that the fire was brought under control and later extinguished.
“MPA extends its condolences to the families of the deceased,” it said, adding that it was in contact with Pacific Rim International Shipping, the company operating the vessel—as well as the relevant Chinese authorities—to provide assistance.
A total of 25 crew members had been aboard the ship, all of whom were from Myanmar. The injured person has been evacuated to a shore-based medical facility for further treatment.
The operator had since arranged for the bulk carrier to be towed to the Yantai Port in China's Shandong province.
This comes just days after a similar fire broke out aboard the Dutch-flagged Diezeborg (IMO: 9225586) on Saturday.
Though the fire did not kill any crew members, it disabled the freighter completely even after the crew put it out, causing the vessel to drift off dangerously close to Gotska Sandon, an uninhabited island in the Baltic Sea.
However, the Swedish Coast Guard intervened in the nick of time on Sunday to secure the vessel and stop it from running aground (touching the shore). Later that day, the Diezeborg was in tow, on its way.
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