PHOTOS: Fire rages on German bulk carrier off Sweden with crew still onboard

German bulk carrier Almirante Storni caught fire close to Vinga, an island in the archipelago of Gothenburg in Sweden, Swedish Coast Guard reported.

As disclosed, the fire broke out at approximately 3 p.m. on 4 December. The vessel’s cargo is timber and the fire began in the timber loaded on foredeck above the hold. As the timber is stacked and burns easily the work extinguishing the fire is complicated, the coast guard noted.

Seventeen members of the crew remain onboard, together with officers from the Swedish Coast Guard and the rescue service. No injuries have been reported and the Almirante Storni’s capacity is limited but the vessel is still functional, according to the officials.

The Swedish Coast Guard is on-site with several response vessels in order to control and extinguish the fire, together with several other organizations within emergency preparedness. The coast guard’s multipurpose vessels KBV 001 Poseidon and KBV 002 Triton continue to fight the fire together with tugboats hired by the owner of the vessel NSC Holding GmbH & Cie. KG.

The police are also assisting with a helicopter and the emergency services with a drone equipped with thermal imaging cameras to locate the fire.

Almirante Storni is a bulker carrier built by Chinese shipbuilding company Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding Ltd. in 2012, according to the owner’s website. The 31,800 dwt vessel is 177 meters long with a 28-meter beam. It is currently sailing under the Liberian flag.