Container ship catches fire off Port Blair coast; ICG deploys ship, aircraft for assistance

A container ship off the Port Blair coast caught fire on Friday and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has deployed a ship and an aircraft for assistance, an official statement said.

"Container ship MSC Messina with 28 crew about 425 nautical miles from Port Blair reported fire in engine room AM 25 Jun, one crew missing," the ICG said on Twitter.

The ship is en route from Colombo to Singapore, it said.

"MRCC (Merchant Rescue Coordination Centre) in Port Blair is coordinating assistance through MSC Deila (another container ship) in vicinity. ICG Ship & aircraft being deployed," the ICG said.