Two lives were lost after a fire erupted on an oil tanker anchored near Qinzhou, a port city in southeast China, according to a report from China Daily released today. The incident unfolded in the afternoon as crew members tried to manage a hazardous situation aboard the vessel, underscoring the dangers inherent in maritime fuel transport close to busy shipping lanes.
In the ensuing hours, 17 crew members were rescued, with 15 of them pulled from the flames and smoke by rescue teams and port authorities. Firefighting teams worked to control the blaze, and authorities estimate that the flames were extinguished approximately two hours after the initial alarm. Local footage circulated by media outlets showed intense fire, heavy black smoke, and flames sweeping across the ship’s deck, highlighting the scale of the emergency and the immediate need for swift response. (China Daily)
The Qinzhou Maritime Safety Bureau stated that there were no reported fuel leaks at the scene and announced that a formal investigation would be initiated to determine the causes of the fire. The vessel, Shengyou 229, measures about 117.4 meters in length and 16.5 meters in width and was transporting approximately 6,858 metric tons of diesel at the time of the incident. The bureau emphasized that the absence of leaks was a key finding during the early assessment, though the full investigation would examine all potential contributing factors, including loading operations, tank integrity, and crew procedures. (China Daily)
Commentary from the Caixin digital newspaper highlighted that this latest event comes amid a string of recent accidents involving tankers and cargo ships in the region. While there have been no reported sea leaks in this incident, Caixin drew attention to a previous explosion and sinking involving the vessel Hongpu 6 in eastern Shandong province earlier in the year, which raised concerns about maritime safety standards and emergency preparedness in nearby waters. (Caixin)
The same publication also recalls a major fuel spill incident from April 2021, when a collision between two ships in the same general area led to an estimated release of roughly 9,400 tons of oil into the sea. The incident caused widespread environmental and economic damage, with total losses estimated at about $851 million. Recovery of the region’s fishing resources was projected to take roughly a decade to return to pre-event levels, illustrating the long tail of maritime accidents on coastal economies and the heavy reliance on safe fuel transport in this maritime corridor. (Caixin)