Ship to be towed to Gothenburg as fire crews battle to put out six-day blaze

A ship off Sweden’s west coast whose timber cargo has been ablaze for six days will be towed into the port of Goteborg to try and bring the fire under control, the coastguard said Friday.

Several countries including Norway have sent backup since Saturday to fight the fire aboard the Almirante Storni, a 177-metre (580-foot) ship with a crew of 17.

Several firefighting boats are continuously spraying down the cargo of the Liberian-flagged vessel, owned by German shipping firm NSC Holding.

So far the captain has refused to abandon ship, where coastguard firefighters have been stationed in shifts.

No one has been hurt in the fire and it is no longer spreading, but emergency responders are unable to quench it.

For now, the cargo ship is anchored a few nautical miles off the Goteborg archipelago, near Sweden’s biggest port.

It is expected in harbour on Saturday, the coastguard said.

Since the fire is far from the ship’s fuel tanks with 600 tonnes of reserves, the risk of pollution is considered minimal, as is the danger of the vessel sinking.

The firefighting operation was hindered this week by bad weather.