Oil tanker catches fire in German Baltic Sea

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - An oil tanker has been on fire off the Baltic Sea coast near the German town of Warnemunde since Friday morning, local media reported.

Eyewitnesses told Ostsee Zeitung daily that there had been an explosion, followed by clouds of smoke.

According to the daily, an emergency tugboat immediately set off to extinguish the fire and cool down the ship.

The Baltic Sea Waterways and Shipping Authority confirmed to the newspaper that the burning ship was the tanker Annika.

A spokeswoman for the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies in Cuxhaven, which is leading the operation, confirmed to the daily that the tanker currently has 640 tons of heavy fuel oil on board.

The command later said there were seven people on board and that they were evacuated by the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service. Five were reportedly injured.

According to the daily, the German seaport of Rostock is preparing to receive the stricken vessel.

“The operation at sea is still ongoing, the firefighting work is still continuing. But we have been designated as a port of refuge and are in contact with the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies,” Falk Zachau, Rostock's port captain, told the newspaper.