According to an article published in Maritime Bulletin, a tanker caught fire off Sharjah, UAE and probably reported to have been abandoned by crew.
What happened?
The abandoned tanker was anchored off Sharjah since at least year 2018, due to financial and legal disputes, including unpaid crew wages. It is highly likely, that the ship has onboard some watchmen at best, not regular crew.
The cause of fire is expected to have originated from maintenance works. There were some hot works on cargo deck, or in cargo tank, which sparked off fire and highly likely, explosion. Tanker is in a lay-up for at least two years. Ships in lay-up are prone to all kinds of accidents, including fire, leaks, developing list, etc.
Obviously, gas in empty tank or tanks somehow inflamed, maybe igniting residues in tanks bottom part.
Crew safe
Moreover, the 16 crew members onboard the tanker have been safely rescued and is unmanned as of now. The authorities have initiated investigation to determine the further course of action.
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Source: MaritimeBulletin
