On the night of August 18th, 2009, a loaded Taiwanese oil tanker set on fire and nine Chinese crew members went missing after a collision with a Greek-managed bulk carrier in the Malacca Strait, the vital Asian shipping route south of Kula Lumpur.

The tanker was loaded with 58,000 tones of naphtha and was heading for South Korea via Singapore. The accident caused oil spillage, and dozens of maritime officials, 11 boats and two helicopters arrived to battle the blaze.

Rizal Ramli, the local marine police chief reported that the 'Formosa product Brick' was on fire and floating on its left side. The police were afraid that it might sink any second.

According to the police chief, the collision happened last night in clear weather off Port Dickson. Having successfully rescued 16 crew members mainly of Chinese nationality, the search was still under way to find the missing nine Chinese crew members. The rescued crew members were admitted to hospital in Port Dickson.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a statement that the bulk carrier MV Ostende Max did not suffer serious damage and had been ordered to berth near Port Dickson for further investigation.

Accidents are rare in the narrow Malacca Strait, one of the busiest waterways in Asia and in the world. Each year at least 94,000 ships sail the narrow strait, mostly large crude oil carriers.

Video: cctv.com

Editor: Lou Yi