A passenger ferry with 237 people on board was on fire in the Baltic sea some 20 nautical miles south of Sweden this evening, Swedish national television news reported.
Rescue vessels and several other ships nearby were on their way to the scene. The ferry was on its way from the city of Trelleborg in southern Sweden to Sassnitz in northern Germany.
It was not immediately clear how serious the fire was or whether people had been injured, TV news said.
A spokesman for Lloyds Shipping Intelligence said by telephone that fire had broken out in the engine room of the ferry but was under control.
"It's under control at the moment and no help is required. There will be no evacuation," spokesman Mr Mike Davis said.
Nobody with the coastguard services was immediately available for comment.