Ship fire
Ship that caught fire on the Baltic Sea extinguished in Rostock

The tanker “Annika” that caught fire has been extinguished in the Rostock harbor. photo
© Bodo Marks/dpa
The fire on the tanker “Annika” causes a large-scale operation. On Saturday night it was towed into the Rostock harbor. Now the emergency services report: fire out.
The fire on the tanker “Annika” that caught fire on the Baltic Sea off Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is out. The The accident command announced that the ship was unloaded in the Rostock overseas port. On Saturday night it reached Rostock-Warnemünde shortly before midnight and was then towed to the Rostock overseas port. According to the accident command, around 120 personnel were deployed.
The fire on the 73 meter long ship broke out on Friday morning between Rostock-Warnemünde and Kühlungsborn, approximately at the level of the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm. According to the accident command, the fire probably started in the paint room for reasons that are still unclear. The black smoke could be seen as far away as the coast, about 4.5 kilometers away.
The accident triggered a large-scale deployment of emergency services. Three firefighting vessels fought the fire from the outside for several hours. On Friday afternoon, firefighters boarded the “Annika” and explored the situation. According to the accident command, the cargo of the “Annika” consists of around 640 tons of oil. The ship’s cargo was therefore not affected by the fire.
No water pollution so far
The twelve meter wide ship, which can, among other things, supply large ships with fuel, was reportedly on its way from Rostock to Travemünde. According to previous information from the Schwerin Ministry of the Environment, no water contamination has occurred so far. However, an oil barrier will be placed around the “Annika” in the harbor in order to avoid any contamination of the water, the German Emergency Command announced.
The German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People brought the seven crew members to safety and to shore. The accident command announced on Friday evening that the injured had been released from the hospital. They would be looked after by specialists from the German Seaman’s Mission and, if necessary, psychosocially.