Riga, Feb 22, (dpa/GNA) – A freighter with a dangerous cargo onboard, caught fire in the Baltic Sea, and is now drifting towards the Latvian coast, according to the Latvian Navy.
A fire broke out on the ship called the Escape on Tuesday night. It could not be extinguished by the fire safety system on board. The 15 crew members left the 168-metre-long vessel in a lifeboat, and were brought to safety, the navy of the Baltic EU and NATO country said.
The ship was on its way from the Lithuanian Baltic Sea port of Klaipeda to Riga, according to the ship tracking service marinetraffic.com.
The fire apparently started in the engine room and spread. The Latvian Sea Rescue Coordination Centre, sent two tugs equipped with water tanks and foam generators to the freighter, which was drifting towards the west coast of the Gulf of Riga, it said.
A navy patrol boat had reached the Dutch-flagged vessel, which was carrying an unspecified dangerous cargo. No open flames were reportedly visible on board.
Latvian radio reported that the ship, which was drifting about 9 kilometres from the coast, was said to be loaded with polymers and paint materials. According to the report, there were no indications that the containers were on fire.
A spokeswoman for the state environmental authority said there was no information about environmental hazards in connection with the ship fire. However, the authority was informed about the incident and is monitoring.
GNA