The fire was brought under control after hours of effort and the distressed ship was then escorted to Mundra port's outer anchorage.

A container ship carrying Singapore flag with 26 crew members onboard was escorted to Mundra port after it caught fire off the Gujarat coast, a defence release said on Saturday.

The fire was brought under control, all crew members were safe and the ship's "stability was intact", it added.

MV APL LE HAVRE with 26 crew members had left Karachi harbour and was on way to Nhava Sheva near Mumbai when it reported fire about 40 nautical miles south-west of Porbandar on Gujarat coast about 7.15 pm Friday, the release stated.

The Indian Coast Guard's vessel Sangram was diverted to provide assistance to the ship.

"The fire was brought under control after hours of effort and the distressed ship was then escorted to Mundra port's outer anchorage," the release said.

The ship anchored off Mundra harbour around 10.30 am on Saturday.

"Ship's stability is intact and all crew are safe. Fire is under control and ship is planned to enter Mundra Harbour for further investigation and necessary actions," the statement said.

A defence official said crew members onboard the ship included thirteen from Myanmar, eight from Singapore, two from Malaysia and two from China.

Source: IndianExpress