Panama-flagged tanker catches fire near Iran coast - TV

A Panama-flagged tanker called “White Pearl” has caught fire near Assaluyeh on Iran’s Gulf coast, Iranian state media reported on Thursday, adding that all crew members were safe, Reuters reports.

“Twenty-two of the ship’s crew have been rescued by Iranian rescue teams after the ship’s captain requested assistance from the port authorities,” state TV quoted a local ports official as saying.

The official said that the tanker, carrying 40,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas, had experienced “a problem in the engine room due to a fire.”

Panama’s vessel registry, the world’s largest, has withdrawn its flag from 136 ships linked to Iran’s State oil company in the last four years, the country’s Maritime Authority said in January.

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