A fire broke out on Friday on the Iman vessel with the Russian crew, heading from Japan’s port of Toyama to Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, the city’s rescue and coordination center told.

"On Friday morning, fire was reported on the Togo-flagged Iman ship, carrying cargo of motor vehicles from the Japanese port of Toyama to Vladivostok. There are 21 crew members, all of them Russian citizens. By now, the fire has been extinguished by the crew. There are no injuries and no threat for the crew," a spokesman said.

The fire occurred in the vessel’s engine room and was put out with the use of firefighting systems.

However, the ship cannot continue its route and is some 210 miles from Vladivostok in the Sea of Japan. The Neftegaz-55 rescue vessel has been deployed to tow the ship to Vladivostok. It is expected to reach the accident scene on November 25.

The Iman vessel, which is 94 meters long and 20 meters wide, conducts regular trips to transport cargos, mostly motor vehicles, between the ports of Japan and Primorye.