The ship - East China Rescue 111 - is on its way to the site about 450 nautical miles southeast of Dachen Island of Zhejiang Province, state-run Xinhua news agency reported quoting officials.
The Mingyang, a refrigerated fishing ship, caught fire late last night and the incident was reported to the East China Rescue Bureau under the Ministry of Transport today, said officials with the bureau.
Reports from Japan said that the Japanese coast guard dispatched aircraft and patrol vessels after it was informed by Taiwanese authorities that a fire had broken out on the 12,703-ton Mingyang in waters about 150 kilometres southeast of Okinawa.
It rescued all of the crew members but three of them sustained minor injuries.
