By Marcus Hand from Singapore

A crew member died in an engine room fire on Tokyo Marine chemical tanker on Saturday, leaving the vessel adrift 700 miles west of Oregon.

According to the United States Coastguard (USCG) fire in the engine room of the Bahamas-flag chemical tanker was put out using firefighting equipment how its damaged the ship's generators leaving the crew with minimal battery power. One crew was reported to have died during the fire.

The USCG using a H-130 Hercule aircraft was able to provide the crew with two iridium phones and a VHF-FM radio. Vessels enrolled in the AMVER assistance programme have been providing visual assessments of the vessel's condition.

"The AMVER vessels involved were instrumental in providing check-ins with the disabled vessel and providing updates to rescue personnel about the condition of the crew and vessel's position," said Lt. Ryan Beck, command duty officer at the 13th District Rescue Coordination Center. 'AMVER vessels are an invaluable high-seas resource for rescue coordinators."

The vessel's owners have contracted a tugboat the Millennium Falcon, which on 15 August was expected to take three days to reach the scene.