Formosaproduct Brick on fire ! Formosa Product Brick

A loaded Taiwanese oil tanker was on fire and nine crew members were missing after a collision with a Greek-managed bulk carrier in the Malacca Strait, Malaysian police said Wednesday.

"The collision happened last night in clear weather off Port Dickson. We have rescued 16 crew members, mainly of Chinese nationalities," local marine police chief Rizal Ramli told AFP.

"The 'Formosaproduct Brick' is on fire and is now listing on its left side. We fear it may sink," he added.

Rizal said a search was under way off the coast of Port Dickson south of Kuala Lumpur to find the missing nine crew members, adding that two of them were Taiwanese.

The police chief said both ships were heading to Singapore when the accident happened on Tuesday night. Accidents are rare in the narrow Malacca Strait, a vital artery for world trade.

"The bulk carrier slammed into the left side of the Taiwanese tanker that was coming from United Arab Emirates," he said.

Maritime officials said the bulk carrier was flying the Isle of Man flag and had left the accident area and was heading to Singapore.

Rizal said fire fighters were battling the blaze, adding that the ship was carrying naphtha and crude oil.

"There is some oil spill," he said.

Rizal said the 16 crew members rescued had been admitted to a hospital in Port Dickson, in Negeri Sembilan state.

At least 94,000 ships sail the narrow strait each year, of which 20 percent are Japanese vessels -- mostly large crude oil carriers.

In July, a Japanese foundation urged ship owners to contribute to the Malacca Strait navigation safety fund to help maintain buoys and other navigational aids in the strait.

"There is a potential for an accident to happen. If it involves crude oil tankers, there will be a major oil spill. This could disrupt international trade," Nippon Foundation chairman Yohei Sasakawa told AFP.

The Malacca Strait, one of the busiest waterways in the world, is vital to Japan's national interests as more than 80 percent of its oil passes through it.