Probe into fire on German tanker delayed by hazardous gas risk

Experts were on Saturday morning still unable to start probing the causes of a fire on board a German oil tanker in the Baltic Sea due to the risk of accumulated gases after the flames were extinguished.

The ship must first be laid up to allow any dangerous gases to dissipate, a spokesman for the Rostock water police said.

This degassing is important in order not to jeopardize the work of the fire investigators, he stressed.

It remained to be seen when the investigation could begin. No new embers were found during the night, officials said. The ship is now docked and secured in Rostock harbour.

The 73-metre Annika, which was carrying 640 tons of heavy fuel oil when a fire broke out on board early on Friday, was towed overnight to the north-eastern German port, where the fire was extinguished. The ship's cargo was not affected.

Around 120 emergency workers were involved in the operation.