A blaze has been brought under control on a Cypriot aframax tanker off Taiwan.
Eight crew members were taken off the 105,000-dwt Marquessa (built 2006) on Tuesday, while 16 others were due to remain on board until the Cypriot-owned vessel was brought into port.
A rescue team from Taiwan's National Rescue Command Centre had airlifted the seafarers from the tanker 16.5 nautical miles (30.5 km) from Orchid Island on the east coast.
Video footage from a helicopter shows black smoke billowing from the vessel's stern.
The CNA news agency said the country's coast guard had sent four helicopters and two ships to the scene after an alert in the morning.
The report said when the choppers arrived, the crew said they had extinguished the engine room fire.
Choppers returned
The helicopters turned back to their base at Taitung Airport but were later instructed to return and rescue the crew because the captain had given the order to abandon ship, the centre said.
The fire was then brought under control by the afternoon.
Operator Universal Tanker Management of Cyprus could not be contacted.
The tanker has protection and indemnity insurance from Norway's Gard, which confirmed it covers the vessel, but said it could not comment due to client confidentiality.
Two detentions in 2019
The vessel was detained in Texas in October last year with 10 deficiencies, including unspecified problems with electrical systems and the main engine.
The cleanliness of the engine room was also grounds for detention.
The tanker was then held for an expanded inspection in Rotterdam at the end of December last year.
The ship spent a month under detention there with 28 deficiencies.
The fixed fire fighting installations were not as required and there was a structural deficiency relating to the ballast, fuel and other tanks.
Embarkation arrangements for survival craft were also inoperative.
A subsequent check in the Philippines in April this year did not result in a detention and no deficiencies were recorded.
