Six crew members are missing after a Cayman Islands-registered chemical tanker Stolt Commitment and Antigua and Barbuda-flagged freighter Thorco Cloud collided in the Singapore Strait in the evening hours of December 16.

The 2004-built freighter, which was carrying 560 metric tonnes of bunker fuel, sank, while the 2000-built chemical tanker sustained minor damage and is in stable condition, reports the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

The incident happened in Indonesian waters 6 nautical miles (11 km) north-west of Batam.

Singapore’s Police Coast Guard (PCG) supported MPA by deploying five boats, and rescued five of a total number of twelve crew members who were aboard the freighter, owned by Danish company Thorco Shipping. A sixth was rescued by the chemical tanker, owned by Dutch shipping company Stolt-Nielsen.

Search and rescue operations for the remaining freighter crew members are on-going.

MPA deployed two patrol craft, while the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) dispatched two vessels to assist in the search and rescue efforts.

MPA is assisting the Indonesian authorities to survey and mark the sunken freighter to ensure navigational safety.

According to MPA, there is no disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait.

While there are currently no reports of any oil spill, MPA has also put on standby anti-pollution craft.

(From: World Maritime News)