News

Jul 10, 2023

An Oil Tanker Ablaze in the South China Sea Is a Global Problem

Alex Longley and Yongchang Chin Subscriber Benefit Subscribe Off the coast of

Alex Longley and

Yongchang Chin

Subscriber Benefit

Subscribe

Off the coast of Malaysia, in one of the world's busiest shipping channels, an explosion on board the aging oil tanker Pablo ripped off its deck like a sardine can and began a fire that sent dark plumes of smoke into the sky.

It was a tragic accident that could have been a much larger catastrophe. The Gabon-registered ship, capable of carrying some 700,000 barrels of crude oil, was coming through the South China Sea after offloading a cargo in China — and so was nearly empty. Out of its international crew of 28, officials report that 25 were rescued by passing vessels. The blast happened just beyond Singapore's congested waters.