A tanker has caught fire in the Persian Gulf, off the Strait of Hormuz. According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the ship is on fire 21 nautical miles (39 km) northwest of United Arabs Emirates city Sharjah.
An unidentified merchant vessel made a distress call, informing about the incident.
UKMTO officials would not identify the ship on fire, but sources report that Coast guard officials have reportedly identified it as Zoya 1.
Initial information reports that the fire started during maintenance, with all crew reported safe. To ensure safety in the area, UKMTO warned other ships transiting the region to ‘exercise extreme caution’.
The vessel is not carrying cargo, and was last inspected by Japanese authorities in May 2010.
