Gas tanker catches fire off coast of Hong Kong

A TANKER carrying 20,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas caught fire in Chinese waters east of Hong Kong yesterday, risking a huge explosion, authorities said, though the wind drove flames away from the ship's cargo area.

The crew of 34 on the Panamanian-registered gas carrier "Gaz Poem" was rescued and there were no casualties after fire broke out in the engine-room of the vessel, about 24 miles from Hong Kong, and far from residential areas, authorities said.

"If the fire was to keep burning with 20,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas, there would be a major, major explosion," Captain Ravi Dewan, head of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, told reporters.