Maersk said on Friday that a fire had broken out on one of their chartered vessels, sailing from Mundra off the west coast of India, to Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Local media reported that the fire was caused by a short-circuit, which resulted in explosions, and that a Filipino seaman died. There were also 21 crew members aboard.

In an email, the company stated that the vessel was in a stable condition.

In a statement, it said: "At this time, we cannot confirm the extent of the fire's impact."

Maersk reported that the fire started around 2:30 pm local time. The crew of the vessel has been fighting the fire with the help of the Indian authorities.