Small Product Tanker Explodes Off Hong Kong, Killing One
[Brief] On Saturday, a small tanker exploded off the coast of Hong Kong, killing one and injuring six others.
Hong Kong's Government Flying Service received a notification about the casualty from the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at about 1600 hours. The tanker Chuang Yi had sustained an explosion and fire, and seven crewmembers had been injured.
The agency dispatched two helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft to assist. By the time help arrived, one of the Chuang Yi's crewmembers had died of his injuries. Six others survived with varying degrees of injury, and they extinguished the fire.
Three crewmembers sustained serious burn injuries requiring treatment, and the other three survivors had less severe burns and cuts. All were evacuated to shore.
Chuang Yi is a 10,000 dwt product tanker, flagged in Panama and managed by a company registered in the British Virgin Islands. Her last port state control inspection was recorded in 2016.
The vessel's AIS transmission was last received on April 10, and no official updates on her fate are available.
Top image: Hong Kong Government Flying Service helicopter (Courtesy Aero Icarus / CC BY SA 2.0)
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