Investigations into the cause of a fire on board a German oil tanker that prompted a major rescue operation will be postponed until Monday, authorities have confirmed.
The 73-metre-long Annika was towed by two tugboats to the northern port of Rostock after a fire broke out off Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on Friday.
The ship was carrying 640 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, raising concerns that an oil spill could cause serious environmental damage, but Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said on Saturday no pollution had been caused.
However, experts have still not been able to discover what caused the fire due to the risk of built-up gases after the flames were extinguished.
Rostock government official Chris von Wrycz Rekowski said the investigation would begin on Monday.
The fire was initially confined to the engine room while the ship was at sea about 4.5 kilometers off the German coast near Rostock, while three fire boats battled the flames.
According to the Central Maritime Emergency Command, 120 personnel were deployed to deal with the incident.
All seven crew members of the Annika were released from hospital on Friday evening after being brought ashore earlier in the day.
