A container vessel suffered an onboard explosion and a subsequent fire while transiting the Gulf of Finland near Russia's Neva Bay on Thursday, February 5, Russian media reported recently.
The Liberian-flagged MSC Giada III was en route to Saint Petersburg when the blast occurred in her engine room. This then resulted in a blaze that eventually spread to her accommodation block.
Images that have circulated on Russian media show the rear of the accommodation block being engulfed in flames.
The crew of an assisting icebreaker helped bring the fire under control as the ship's Russian captain and the 22 Burmese crewmembers were evacuated onto a waiting rescue vessel.
The containership had become disabled as a result of the incident and needed to be towed the rest of the way to Saint Petersburg, though officials have assured that there were no signs of hull damage or pollution.
A number of international news outlets said that there has yet been no official confirmation from shipping company MSC regarding the incident.