German ship with burning timber cargo towed to Swedish port

A fire-ravaged German-owned cargo vessel has been towed to port in the western Swedish city of Goteborg after a week-long blaze that broke out on the North Sea when its timber cargo caught fire

HELSINKI -- A fire-ravaged German-owned cargo vessel was towed to port in the western Swedish city of Goteborg on Saturday after a week-long blaze that broke out on the North Sea when the ship's timber cargo caught fire,

The Liberia-flagged Almirante Storni, built in 2012, was towed to Goteborg early Saturday by pilot and tug boats under the surveillance of the Swedish Coast Guard, officials said.

The vessel issued a distress call on Dec. 4 after its timber cargo caught fire and while the vessel itself wasn’t burning Swedish officials said burning timber was difficult to extinguish out at sea. Boats from Denmark and Norway helped in the effort to put out the fire this week.

The vessel, reportedly en route to Alexandria, Egypt, was anchored off the island of Vinga close to Goteborg this week before being taken into port on Saturday.