Burning oil tanker off German coast to be towed to port

An oil tanker on fire in the Baltic Sea off the coast of north-eastern Germany is to be towed to port, rescue officials said on Friday.

"The fire is now largely under control," Till Backhaus, the environment minister in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, told the Ostsee-Zeitung newspaper.

The 73-metre Annika, which was reportedly carrying 640 tons of heavy fuel oil when a fire broke out on board early on Friday, is to be towed to Rostock port, where the blaze which has been contained to the engine room is to be put out entirely.

The blaze on the vessel which was en route from Rostock to Travemünde had led to a major rescue operation amid concern that an environmental disaster could ensue.

All seven crew members on the Annika have been rescued, and no environmental damage has been caused so far, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern environment ministry said.

"We will do everything we can to avert greater environmental damage," Backhaus said.

The state environment ministry said that no injuries have been recorded, contradicting earlier media reports.

The ship is currently anchored in the Mecklenburg Bight between Kühlungsborn and Warnemünde and connected to a tugboat, rescue services said.

Black smoke from the burning ship was reportedly visible as far as the coast.

The German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies coordinated the rescue operation. The cause of the fire is not known yet.