A Gabon-registered tanker carrying 28 crew members caught fire on Monday in waters off Malaysia’s southern coast. Three crew members are missing, while 23 have been rescued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and nearby vessels. The tanker was enroute from China to Singapore when the incident occurred. The tanker had last delivered Iranian crude to the eastern port of Qingdao in late January and had been anchored off China’s eastern port of Zhoushan for two months before sailing towards an anchorage area off Singapore and Malaysia. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said it was investigating the cause of the fire and had conducted search and rescue operations. Despite sanctions on Iran’s oil exports, its supplies have been entering China since late 2019, disguised as coming from Oman, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, according to traders and analysts.
