Fire on product tanker leaves nine injured at Ulsan port

Nine people suffered varying degrees of injury after a fire ignited on a petroleum product tanker at the Port of Ulsan in South Korea on Saturday, September 28.

The blaze erupted on the Cayman Islands-flagged Stolt Grönland at around 11:00 local time and quickly spread to the Singapore-flagged tanker Bow Dalian, which was moored alongside.

The two tankers were conducting an STS fuel transfer when the incident occurred.

All 46 crewmembers on both vessels were safely evacuated by responders from the Korea Coast Guard and the Ulsan city government. Nine dock workers were injured in the incident with one of them in critical condition.

The fire was extinguished by late afternoon on Saturday, after which Bow Dalian was towed to a separate area within the port.

Witnesses say the fire on Stolt Grönland was preceded by an explosion that rocked both vessels but could not confirm its origin.

The Korea Coast Guard has since launched an investigation into the cause of the incident.