YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, September 24. /TASS/. The blaze on the Pyotr Zhitnikov depot ship near Iturup has spread to neighboring rooms after containment, the press service of the Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport told TASS on Tuesday.

"The packing room was at the ship’s head; the fire was contained but it spread to adjacent rooms. There is no information about the area of the blaze. The fire was not put out and it continues to burn. Fire-fighting efforts are continuing," the press service said.

An escort vessel of the border forces and several rescue vessels have arrived to the site, according to the Federal Agency. The ship’s superstructure is being hosed down from a vessel to prevent the blaze from spreading.

The fire on the depot ship started on Monday. There were about 400 people on board.

The Pyotr Zhitnikov depot ship was built in 1989. It is one of the largest depot ships; the second depot ship of the same Sodruzhestvo class belongs to Dobroflot. It is designed for receiving crabs and raw fish from fishing vessels and processing the catches into canned goods, frozen products, fish flour, crab meal and oil. In addition, it serves to supply catch vessels and provide services. The Russian-flagged vessel has a gross registered tonnage of 32,960 tonnes and deadweight of 10,700 tonnes. It is 179.03 meters long and 28 meters wide.