The Maritime and Coast Guard Agency said 98 crew members from the Athena were rescued by a passing container ship, The Associated Press reported. It said 13 crew remain aboard the vessel, which is sailing toward land under half power.
The fire on the ship, which was around 230 miles south-west of the English Isles of Silly, was under control and there were no reports of injuries, the BBC reported
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Coastguards were told of the fire just after 6 a.m. BST (1 a.m. ET), the BBC reported.
Five ships were responding to the call for help and one had recovered personnel from life-rafts, the BBC reported. A fixed-wing aircraft was also sent from France to help with communications, according to the news site.
Brest, in France, was thought to be the nearest land to the Athena, according to the BBC.
'Bobbing on the ocean'
The 344-foot fish-processing ship is managed by shipping company Thor and based in the Faroe Islands.
The coast guard agency said the fire had subsided somewhat and the situation appeared to be under control, but that the crew members' lives were still at risk.
"The guys are in life rafts bobbing on the ocean," the agency's Fred Caygill said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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