One crew member is reported missing after a Russia-flagged tanker Palflot-2 caught fire on April 23 in the Caspian Sea, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The relevant authorities dispatched helicopters and rescue vessels to the site of the fire and managed to evacuate ten crew, with the remaining crew member believed to be deceased, local media reports show.
At the time of the incident the vessel was sailing some 110 km off the coast of Turkmenistan with 11 crew members aboard.
The fire was extinguished in the early evening hours the same day, the ministry said in a statement.
The 1982-built tanker was en route from Azerbaijan’s port of Abweron to Aladzha port in Turkmenistan when the fire started.
The cause of the incident was not revealed, however, it is believed that the fire started on the deck of the vessel.
World Maritime News Staff