CHUKAI, May 31 — Three workers narrowly escaped death Friday afternoon when an abandoned ship exploded and caught fire while docked at the Glorious Innovation Jetty in Kampung Bukit Kuang, near Kemaman.

The vessel had been found adrift without a crew near an oil platform in Terengganu waters last year.

Kemaman police chief Supt Mohd Razi Rosli said the men, two of whom are foreign workers, were cutting metal aboard the ship when the incident occurred. Fortunately, they managed to flee before the fire spread.

“The workers, aged between 39 and 46, were using an oxygen gas cutter on the 53.7-metre-long and 10-metre-wide tanker.

“Suddenly, a small explosion occurred, and the ship caught fire. However, the three men managed to climb down in time to save themselves,” Mohd Razi said when contacted yesterday.

Police received a distress call from a member of the public at 3.18pm. Firefighters arrived at the scene at 3.23pm and brought the blaze under control about an hour later.

The tanker sustained an estimated 45 per cent damage, with the fire centred in its midsection.

“The exact cause of the explosion and fire is still under investigation,” he added.

In August last year, it was reported that the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) had found an abandoned ship drifting near the Semangkok A Oil Platform off Terengganu.

At the time, Pahang MMEA director First Admiral Mazlan Mat Rejab said the 292.9-tonne unnamed vessel was believed to be linked to a tanker fire in the waters off Tanjung Sedili, Johor, on August 7, 2025. — Bernama