Crew plucked from blazing tanker

An oil tanker caught fire a few miles off the coast of Norway forcing the ship’s crew to evacuate early today, rescue officials said.

The Norwegian-flagged “Fjord Champion” tanker was still ablaze but no oil spill had been detected in the water, authorities said.

The 28 crew members, all Indian citizens, tried to put out the fire, which apparently started in the machine room on Friday night, Coast Guard spokesman Ole Arvesen said. The cause was still unknown.

The crew was evacuated overnight to the nearby city of Kristiansand, Arvesen said. No serious injuries were reported.

Without the crew, the tanker drifted aimlessly toward the Norwegian shore, but apparently ran aground a few miles off the southern coast, Arvesen said.

“The ship is standing still now,” he said. “It’s still burning, and the fire is not very easy to get to.”

The tanker, which was en route from Liverpool, to Rostock, Germany, was not carrying a shipment but contained 746 tons (220,000 gallons) of heavy oil and 83 tons (25,000 gallons) of diesel fuel for its own use, Arvesen said.