Singapore tanker fire: Huge blaze erupts as two oil vessels collide in spine-chilling photo

Two massive oil tankers were engulfed in flames after a collision near Singapore, the world's largest refuelling port.

A chilling image released by the Singapore Navy shows thick black smoke billowing from one of the tankers involved in the crash, visible for miles around. The hazardous event led to the evacuation of crew members, with two airlifted to hospital and others rescued from life rafts.

The two tankers involved in the collision were the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile, with a crew of 22, and the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged Ceres I, carrying 40 people. The owner of the Hafnia Nile confirmed their vessel was involved in a collision with the Ceres I, reports the Express .

READ MORE: Devastating fire razes village in Seattle to the ground with at least 25 homes burned down

READ MORE: Map shows deadly California wildfires as French Fire burns 900 acres prompting evacuations

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

The MPA was alerted to the fire at 10.15pm GMT on Thursday (6.15am local time on Friday). All crew members were accounted for after the incident, the MPA also reported.

The incident has raised concerns about potential oil spills, as the Hafnia Nile was carrying about 300,000 barrels of naphtha at the time 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 indicated that between March and April it was marked as carrying Iranian crude. Environmental officials in Malaysia, a neighboring country to Singapore, have been alerted to brace for potential oil spills.