A major fire has broken out on a ship in a Lyttelton dry dock in New Zealand's South Island and could burn all night, Fairfax New Zealand reports.

Thirteen trucks from throughout the southern city of Christchurch are currently battling the blaze which the fire service say ‘‘has the potential to burn all night’’.

A Fire Service spokesman said they had been alerted at 5.40pm that a large ship was on fire in the dry dock on Godley Quay.

‘‘The fire was well ablaze when they got there and they’re now working to get it under control,’’ the spokesman said.

‘‘We’re unsure what caused the fire yet, it’s early days. It appears no-one was on the ship or is injured.’’

The entire fishing vessel, known as the 'Ocean Breeze', was caught up in the blaze.

The Lyttleton Tunnel was closed for a short time to ensure the fire trucks could get to the scene quickly. But it has reopened.

Emergency services were asking people to stay away from the area while they worked, he said.

‘‘It’s quite a large operation,’’ the fire service spokesman said.

Lyttelton resident Anthea Struthers said there was smoke everywhere.

‘‘It does look very dramatic,’’ she said.

Resident John Fitzgerald said he saw a ‘‘lot of smoke’’ coming from the ship.

‘‘There’s a lot of smoke and a lot of activity going on down there,’’ he said.

‘‘A huge plume of smoke is coming from the stern and the bow.’’

Source: Fairfax NZ