Two Injured in Explosion aboard Polaris VLOC

Two Filipino seafarers were reportedly injured in an explosion aboard the 250,000 dwt ore carrier Stellar Young, operated by South Korea’s Polaris Shipping.

The explosion occurred in the ship’s engine room on July 22 while the very large ore carrier (VLOC) was undergoing maintenance at a dock in Gwangyang, South Korea, according to local media. The exact cause of the incident was not disclosed.

The injured crew were taken to the hospital for treatment. The reports suggest that the injuries were slight.

According to AIS data by Marine Traffic, Stellar Young departed the port of Gwangyang late on Sunday evening and is currently sailing toward Australia’s port Hedland.

The explosion is the latest in a row of incidents to hit Polaris Shipping. Earlier in 2017, the company’s converted VLOC Stellar Daisy sank in the South Atlantic, some 3,700 kilometers off Uruguay, taking 22 crew members with it.

The 1993-built ship was carrying eight South Korean and sixteen Filipino sailors. Two of the sailors were rescued on April 1, only a day after the ore carrier sent a distress signal to Polaris Shipping saying that the ship was taking on water.

World Maritime News Staff