A Malaysian car carrier remains anchored in the Malacca Strait after a fire onboard resulted in the evacuation of its 19-man crew on 2 December.
Malaysia Star, typically deployed to transport refurbished second-hand vehicles within Asia, suffered a fire around its fuel tank.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Malaysia’s coast guard, was alerted to the incident around 8.40 am (local time). At the time, Malaysia Star was sailing from Port Klang to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.
MMEA’s director (Batu Pahat zone) Mohammad Zaini Zainal said two patrol boats and a marine police vessel were sent to the scene.
The 1992-built, 1,466 CEU (car equivalent unit) Malaysia Star is owned by Malaysia’s Harbour-Link Group. The ship was manned by 19 seafarers, comprising 18 Filipinos and one Malaysian. VesselsValue indicates that since 2019, Malaysia Star has been serving a nine-year period charter to Japan’s Eastern Car Liner.
Mohammad Zaini said in a statement: “All victims were reported to be safe without any injuries and were transferred to the MMEA patrol boats before being taken to the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone Jetty for further action. No oil spills have been reported so far. MMEA authorities have assured that continuous monitoring of the situation is (being conducted). At the same time, we want to advise the maritime community to always be vigilant regarding safety and be prepared for any untoward incidents at sea to avoid loss of life and property.”
It took more than a day to bring the fire under control, as the flames were around the fuel tank.
Alison Koo
Asia Correspondent
