The damaged Ostende Max, a British-registered bulk carrier, is anchored after it collided with a tanker in the Strait of Malacca outside Port Dickson, 100 km (62 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur, August 19, 2009. A tanker carrying 58,000 tonnes of naphtha was involved in a collision with the cargo ship late on Tuesday in the Strait of Malacca, leaving nine crewmen from the oil vessel missing, a Malaysian maritime official said. [Agencies]

KUALA LUMPUR: An oil tanker caught fire offshore Malaysia in the Malacca Straits, nine people were reported missing while 16 rescued, said the sources, who asked not to be identified on Wednesday.

The 9 missing crew members come from the Chinese mainland, said Su Qiang, counselor at the Chinese embassy in Malaysia, Xinhua reported.

The accident took place around 9:30 pm Tuesday night when the tanker collided with another ship in the Malacca Straits, near Port Dickson in the state of Sembilan.

The 16 rescued included some Chinese seamen, the sources said.

The rescued have already been sent into a hospital in Port Dickson.

Local media said that the tanker collided with a bulk carrier about 20 nautical miles off Port Dickson in the Strait Melaka and both ships caught fire. The flames could be seen in nearby town.

The tanker was reportedly registered in Liberia and the bulk carrier from Britain and each had a crew of 25, Port Dickson Police chief Supt mazlan Othman told the media.

He said the Fire and Rescue Department was notified the fire at 9:15 pm and it is believed a major oil spill had occurred.