This handout photo taken on May 1, 2023 and released by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency on May 2, 2023 shows the tanker MT Pablo after the vessel caught fire off Malaysia's southern coast during its journey from China to Singapore. HANDOUT AFP KUALA LUMPUR SINGAPORE - Malaysian maritime authorities were searching for three crewmembers missing from a Gabon-registered tanker a day after the 26-year-old vessel caught fire in waters off the southern coast.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, MMEA, said the cargo ship was not carrying cargo and there were no reports of an oil spill.
It did not rule out the possibility that the men, two Indian nationals and a Ukrainian, could still be aboard, as smoke made it unsafe to inspect the vessel after the fire appeared to have stopped by afternoon.
Indonesia's Pertamina has said two crew members were killed after the tanker's fire in Jakarta, Indonesia's Pertamina said.
There is a possibility that the three are still on the boat, said Saiful Lizan Ibrahim, a top MMEA official in the southern state of Johor.
The remaining 25 crew were rescued, including 23 that were pulled up by two ships nearby. Four people were hospitalized with serious injuries.
In the search for the missing crew, rescuers were scouring an area of 71 nautical miles.
According to shipping databases, Pablo Union Shipping, which is based in Marshall Islands, could not be located to seek comment. The vessel's insurers were not forthcoming at this time.
The MMEA said it began search and rescue operations on Monday after being told of the fire on Monday at 4 pm 0800 GMT and was investigating its cause.