Two seafarers were reported missing following a blast on a Chinese tanker in the Rizhao area.
Domestic media said the accident occurred on the afternoon of 10 January, without identifying the vessel.
The Beihai Rescue Bureau of the Ministry of Transport said it had received a notification from the Shandong Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Centre that an explosion had occurred on the empty tanker.
Pictures from Chinese media showed the ship had broken apart near the superstructure, with the bow partially submerged.
A total of 17 seafarers were reported to be on board.
Of these, 15 were taken off the ship after the rescue vessel — Beihai Rescue 115 — arrived at the scene by the late evening.
This ship then continued to search for the missing crew members.
But the latest updates said no sign of the men had been found and the search was continuing.
Video footage showed rescue authorities boarding the vessel to find and evacuate the remaining seafarers.
Ship spotting websites identified the vessel as the small tanker Hong Pu 6 with the Maritime Mobile Service Identity — or MMSI — number of 412212170.
But AIS showed this vessel underway four hours ago in the Yellow Sea en route from Tianjin to Dongjiakou.
