Baltic ferry fire: Blaze on vessel carrying 335 people was started by engine room explosion

Lithuanian military dispatches helicopter and three navy vessels in case evacuation is necessary

A ferry with 335 people on board was on fire in the Baltic Sea after an explosion in the engine room, the Lithuanian military has said.

The military sent a helicopter to the ferry and has two more on standby if needed, a spokesman for the country’s air force said.

The ferry was heading to the Lithuanian port town of Klaipeda from Kiel, Germany.

It sent out a distress call at 10.45am (GMT) while in international waters off Kaliningrad, Russia’s Baltic Sea exclave between Poland and Lithuania.

Lithuania’s Defence Ministry said “the fire has been extinguished” and that four Lithuanian military ships were heading towards the ferry and will reach it by 3pm (GMT).

Russian state news agency Tass quoted Andrei Permyakov, head of the sea rescue coordination centre in Kaliningrad, saying rescuers from Lithuania, Russia and Poland responded.

However, a Danish ferry company gave a conflicting account, saying 294 passengers were stranded after an engine breakdown in the Baltic Sea.

DFDS said the malfunction aboard the Regina Seaways produced smoke, which triggered the ship’s fire extinguishing system in the engine room.

No passengers or crew members were injured, according to a statement.

The company said passengers were assembled at muster stations in preparation for a possible evacuation, but it wasn’t necessary because the “situation is under control”.

The statement said the extent of the damage was not yet fully known, and it is not yet clear whether the ship can continue on its own or with tugboat assistance.

A spokesman for Russia's Federal Agency for Sea and River Transport said the crew of the ferry was trying to make one of the ship's malfunctioning engines work again.

Alexei Kravchenko told the Interfax news agency the crew had asked to be taken to Lithuania. He said a Russian tugboat and ships from Lithuania, Estonia and Sweden were approaching the ferry to provide assistance.

Forecasts for the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea said there were gale force winds, rain showers, poor visibility and risk of thunder storms in the region.

The Regina Seaways was built in 2010 and can carry up to 500 passengers.