Thursday, June 26, 2025
Home Most Visited - Newsletter Eight believed killed in Thai tanker blast

Eight believed killed in Thai tanker blast

Seven dock workers are feared dead after a products tanker exploded in Thailand while undergoing maintenance works, shortly after 9 am local time on 16 January.

The 2018-built 6,500 dwt Smooth Sea 22, one of seven tankers owned by Thai tanker operator Smooth Sea, was anchored at Ruammitr Dockyard along Mae Klong river in Muang district when the incident happened. Firefighters took over an hour to bring the flames under control.

Smooth Sea is involved in transporting clean petroleum products within Thai domestic waters.

The impact of the explosion was such that houses several kilometres away had their glass windows shattered.

Governor Somnuek said that welding work was being done on Smooth Sea 22 when the blast occurred. At the time, 10 dock workers were in the vessel and 30 other workers were along the bank of the dockyard.

The body of one worker was found, with his leg ripped off by the blast. The limb was found 500 metres away from the tanker.

Seven other dock workers remain missing, comprising six Myanmar nationals and one Thai. The Bangkok Post cited unverified information that a second corpse had been found.

Four workers, comprising three Myanmar nationals and one Thai, suffered injuries.

The governor revealed that upon inspecting the tanker wreckage, 25,000 litres of fuel oil and 20,000 litres of gasoil were found in the tanks of Smooth Sea 22, when the vessel was previously declared to be empty.

Relevant persons will be questioned to see if the Occupational Health Safety Act was breached, while the cause of the blast will be investigated.


Martina Li
Asia Correspondent





Latest Posts

Solstad renews partnership with Marlink

Solstad has renewed its long-standing partnership with Marlink to advance its digitalization strategy through to 2028. Under the new agreement, Marlink will deliver SealinkNextGen, a...

KEZAD and Witthal Gulf Industries sign deal to launch recycling plant

Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi Group has signed a 50-year land lease agreement with Witthal Gulf Industries for the establishment of the country’s first...

Emirates Shipping Line announces new service to Seattle

Emirates Shipping Line has announced its entry into the United States market with the launch of the Sun Chief Express service, a direct, fortnightly...

Port of Long Beach approves $833 million budget

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved an $833 million budget for fiscal year 2026, nearly half of which will go toward...

Tykoflex and Kongsberg Discovery develop subsea infrastructure

Tykoflex AB and Kongsberg Discovery have announced a strategic partnership to advance the development of modular, intelligent, and secure subsea infrastructure. This will combine Tykoflex’s...
error: Content is protected !!