Malaysia Responded to Report of “Ghost Ship” Drifting Toward Oil Rigs

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency received a report on August 12 from an oil rig located in the Gulf of Thailand that a “ghost ship” was drifting toward its location. The vessel appeared to be burnt out and abandoned, raising safety concerns for the oil platforms.

The abandoned vessel was spotted approximately four nautical miles from the Semangkok A offshore oil rig, which is located near Terengganu in northeast Malaysia near the border with Thailand. The oil platform crew reported it to the MMEA at 4:45 p.m. local time on August 12, raising concern about the vessel.

“The unmanned vessel had entered the oil rig's waters and risked colliding with other offshore platforms nearby,” reported an MMEA director. “Our Special Task and Rescue (Star) team managed to board the tanker at about 6:58 p.m. yesterday and secure it with a towline to another vessel.”

They are still investigating, but they believe it is the same ship that was reported on fire on August 7 near the southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula. A local fisherman had reported seeing a tanker on fire approximately 36 miles east of Tanjung Sedili Kechil.

The MMEA conducted a search and rescue mission and reported recovering four Indonesian crewmembers who were transported to a hospital on shore. A fifth individual, a 42-year-old Indonesian, had died during the incident.

They have recovered the hulk, and it is now being towed to the supply base in northern Malaysia. The MMEA plans to inspect the ship to confirm its identity. They will also search for any other victims that might still be aboard the vessel.