A South Korean cargo ship caught fire Saturday in the Pacific Ocean off Japan's Wakayama Prefecture but all crew members are safe, local press reported.

Japan's Fourth Regional Coast Guard Headquarters received an emergency call at around 5:30 p.m. local time saying that the South Korean cargo ship caught fire while sailing in the Pacific Ocean about 740 kilometers southeast of Shionomisaki in Wakayama Prefecture, the report said, adding that all 24 crew members including 11 South Koreans and 13 Philippines escaped by lifeboats.

The 71,383-ton cargo ship "Asian empire", which carries vehicles, is believed to be drifting in the ocean, and Japan's Coast Guard has dispatched patrol boats to search for the ship, according to the report.