Malaysian authorities have reportedly found an oil tanker that was involved in a collision near Singapore, after it seemingly fled the scene of the incident.

The Malaysian coastguard said it has located and detained the Ceres I, along with two tugboats that were pulling the vessel along the country's eastern coast.

The vessel had reportedly turned off its tracking system.

The cause of the collision has still not been determined, but Malaysian coastguards have now reported an oil spill covering around 17km².

According to UK and local media reports, Ceres I had hit the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile, which was carrying naphtha, on Friday, with both vessels subsequently catching fire.

The collision happened 55km north-east of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca, according to a statement from local port authorities. They added that Ceres I had immediately left the location after the collision, which injured several crew members on both vessels.

Ceres I, a supertanker, was sailing under the flag of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Malaysian authorities could not explain why the vessel apparently fled, but are undertaking additional investigations.

Singaporean authorities have now confirmed that around 40 crew members were rescued from the blazing ships, but that 26 people had stayed on the Ceres I to fight the blaze.