Oil tankers erupt into flames with thick black smoke seen for miles after horror collision

Two large oil tankers caught fire after colliding in waters near Singapore, the world's biggest refuelling port.

A gut-wrenching picture released by the Singapore Navy shows thick black smoke erupting from one of the tankers involved in the impact. The smoke can be seen rising to the sky for miles.

The dangerous incident prompted the evacuation of the crewmembers, with two being airlifted to hospital and others rescued from life rafts.

The two tankers involved in the collision were the Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile, which counted a 22-strong crew, and the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged tanker Ceres I, which had 40 people aboard.

Hafnia Nile's owner confirmed their vessel was involved in a collision with the Ceres I. 

At the time of the incident, the massive ships were some 34 miles northeast of the Pedra Branca on the eastern approach to the Singapore Straits, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

The organisation was alerted to the fire at 10.15pm GMT on Thursday (6.15am local time on Friday).

All crewmembers were accounted for after the incident, the MPA also said. 

The incident has sparked fears of oil spills, as the Hafnia Nile was carrying about 300,000 barrels of naphtha at the moment of the impact, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG.

It isn't immediately clear what fuel Ceres I had on board. Ship-tracking data claimed that between March and April it was marked as carrying Iranian crude.

Environmental authorities in Malaysia, which borders Singapore, said they had been informed to prepare for further action in case of oil spills.