A South Korean freighter registered with Britain caught fire off northeast Egypt Saturday, destroying more than 50 containers without any human casualties, the South Korean Embassy here said Sunday.

The 100,000-ton ship was brought to nearby Port Said after firefighting vessels put out the fire, which broke out on the quarter deck at around 2:30 a.m., according to an embassy spokesman.

The ship was traveling along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea en route to Spain from South Korea via the Suez Canal, carrying more than 6,000 containers.

None of the 21 crew members, including nine South Koreans, were injured or killed.

"We expect the ship will be able to begin sailing again after undergoing an inspection for one or two days," the spokesman said.

"We assume the fire is not an arson." (Yonhap)