Cargo Ship Catches Fire off the Coast of Italy

Twelve crew members were rescued Wednesday from a cargo ship ablaze off the coast of Italy.

At about 7 a.m. local time, the Reggio Calabria port authority received a mayday call reporting an uncontrollable fire in the engine room aboard Bolivian-flagged freighter Bellatrix, in the Mediterranean Sea, about 180 miles southeast from Catania, Italy's Coast Guard said. 

The Coast Guard assumed coordination of the rescue effort and arranged for multiple air and surface assets to be sent to the scene. In additon, the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center requested via an Inmarsat circular message that all ships in the area divert to assist.

In the meantime, the 12 crew members on board Bellatrix were rescued by the Panama-flagged cargo ship Arife, which was in transit nearby. 

A tug hired by Bellatrix's owner was sent to recover the vessel for transport to Aliaga, Turkey.

Coast Guard planes and ships have observed no visible forms of pollution in the affected area.