Chemical Tanker, MT KING RICH
The crew of a Chinese containership successfully rescued sixteen crewmembers from a distressed chemical tanker that faced perilous conditions at sea.
The chemical tanker “MT KING RICH” encountered a critical situation on November 18th, approximately 80 nautical miles from Badoc Island and was reporting water ingress. This 13,925 dwt ship, built in 1990, was traveling empty when it encountered severe weather conditions.
Captain Van Swandi of the MT KING RICH later revealed that the ship’s propeller shaft broke on Saturday around 13:00 hours, leading to flooding in the engine room. Despite initial attempts to pump out the water from the vessel’s ballast, the crew realized that they would be unable to pump water out at that rate.
Subsequently, the crew took measures to secure the ship’s fuel tanks and engine, aiming to prevent potential oil spills, before evacuating the vessel using two liferafts. The crew comprised of 16 members with 13 Indonesians and 3 Chinese nationals.
Approximately four hours later, at around 17:22 hours, the Hong Kong-registered containership “Sheng An,” conducted the rescue operation. The ship weighing 24,500 dwt was en route from China to the Philippines.
The crewmembers were safely brought aboard the containership, following which the vessel headed to Subic Bay in the Philippines. The Philippine Coast Guard confirmed that all rescued crewmembers are in good health and are temporarily accommodated in a hotel awaiting repatriation.
As for the MT KING RICH, it remains afloat but adrift. The coast guard is actively collaborating with the vessel’s owners to arrange a tow for its safe handling.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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