Two seafarers are reported missing after a tug boat Ayu Lestari sank due to a collision with an Italian-flagged crude oil tanker Mare Tirrenum some five miles south of the island of Pulau Rupat in the Strait of Malacca, Indonesia, the owner of the tanker Fratelli d’Amico Armatori SpA confirmed to World Maritime News.

“At approximately 0038 hrs local time on March 7,  the vessel came into contact with a small vessel towing a barge carrying a cargo of palm oil and reportedly not complying with the COLREG regulations,” Carlo Cameli, General Manager of Fratelli d’Amico, said in an email.

At the time of the incident the 110,673 dwt Mare Tirrenum was on ballast passage from Singapore and was approaching the pilot station of its next loading port, Dumai, Indonesia, Cameli said.

“As a result of the collision, the towing vessel sank and two of its crew were rescued from the sea by the pilot boat. It was reported that two further crew members from the towing vessel were missing. The Master of the Mare Tirrenum immediately broadcast man overboard signals to passing vessels in the hope that the missing crew members could be found,” Cameli added.

The search for the missing crewmembers is being led by local naval personnel.

Cameli wrote that the oil tanker continued its journey to Dumai roads, adding that the incident did not cause any pollution or injuries to Mare Tirrenum’s crew.

From: World Maritime News