Thick smoke clouded the skyline in the South Korean port of Ulsan after an explosion rocked an oil tanker, after which another vessel quickly caught fire as well. Nine people on board were injured.
A blast occurred on board the Cayman Islands-flagged oil tanker ‘Stolt Groenland’ at around 10:50am local time on Saturday when it was docked at the South Korean southeastern port city of Ulsan. The fire then quickly spread onto another tanker, the Singaporean-flagged ‘Bow Dalian,’ which was moored nearby.
Videos from the scene show both ships engulfed in flames, with large columns of thick black smoke billowing from them.
The burning vessels appear to be docked closely to a high automobile bridge, with the smoke pillar arching above the passing cars.
All 25 sailors from the ‘Stolt Groenland’ have been rescued. They are said to be foreigners, including some Russians and Filipinos. The ‘Bow Dalian’ crew of 21 was also rescued.
Overall, nine crewmembers were reportedly injured.
Police have blocked off the area as firefighters are working to contain the fire. The Coast Guard has launched a probe to determine the cause of the explosion.
According to the Maritime Bulletin, ‘Stolt Groenland’ is managed by a Dutch company, and ‘Bow Dalian’ is managed by a Norwegian one.
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