Two crewmen remain missing following the first aboard a Vietnamese-owned chemical tanker off Hong Kong on Tuesday.
One person is confirmed dead, while seven other crew members were injured. The remaining members of the ship’s 25 man crew are safe and accounted for.
Hong Kong authorities said the fire aboard the 17,542-dwt Aulac Fortune (built 2010) was finally extinguished around 16:30 local time.
Yiu Men-yeung, the Hong Kong Fire Services Department’s division commander for marine and diving, said the explosions and fire broke out on the tanker’s deck when the “crew were connecting hosepipes to transport fuel from a nearby oil barge”, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
“They hadn’t started the refueling when the crew heard three explosions,” Yiu said, adding that three fuel tanks on the oil barge were also damaged.
He said there was no risk of its sinking or of an oil leak and that marine department officials were studying ways to stabilise the vessel to allow investigators to board the ship.
The ship was reportedly en-route to Thailand after discharging a cargo in Dongguan, Guangdong province, but stopped off Lamma Island to refuel.
"Operations at the anchorage may be suspended for safety reasons, and vessels in the region may face delays as a result," said Singapore shipbroker Eastport Maritime.
