Sailor dies in fire on-board vessel that left Abu Dhabi

The ship's third engineer was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation

The Faneromeni at Piraeus Port in Athens, Greece. The vessel caught fire on Wednesday night and one sailor died while another was injured. Courtesy: MarineTraffic.com

A sailor died and another was injured in a fire that broke out aboard a freighter that left Abu Dhabi last week.

The Greek-flagged bulk carrier, Faneromeni, was adrift in the Arabian Sea when the fire broke out on Tuesday night.

Of the 18 people on board, the vessel's second engineer, 55, from Greece, died, reported AFP.

The ship's third engineer, 26, will need to be taken to hospital after suffering smoke inhalation.

The blaze broke out in the engine room and has since been extinguished.

The ship was sailing without cargo. It left Abu Dhabi on August 12 and was due to arrive in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on August 31.

Greek state agency ANA said Indian authorities were handling the incident and had asked nearby ships to assist.

An Indian Coast Guard official told AFP they received a distress call from the cargo vessel and immediately alerted and diverted two merchant vessels for assistance.

"Indian coastguard is co-ordinating rescue and search operations," the official said.

As of Wednesday evening, the vessel appears to be off the coast of Oman and back in service, according to data from MarineTraffic.com.