AKIPRESS.COM - ferry stranded in the Baltic Sea for about six hours with an estimated 300 people on board safely reached its destination Tuesday night, the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda, port authorities said, Telegraph reports.

The vessel sent out a distress call after a reported explosion in the engine room at 11.45am (UK time).

Danish ferry operator DFDS said the malfunction on board the Regina Seaways vessel produced smoke, which triggered the ship's fire extinguishing system in the engine room.

The company said that 294 passengers were on board. No passengers or crew members were injured, according to a statement.

Port spokeswoman Dovile Ringis told reporters the ferry reached Klaipeda at 9:30 p.m. powered by its own engines despite strong wind and waves. It was escorted by Lithuanian navy ships that were dispatched as a precaution.

Emergency crews were on hand at the port, she said.

Earlier, passengers were assembled at muster stations in preparation for a possible evacuation, but it was not deemed necessary because the "situation is under control".

The statement said the extent of the damage was not yet fully known. The ferry, which also had cars and trucks on board, was traveling between the German port of Kiel and Klaipeda, in Lithuania.

A military helicopter was sent to the ferry and two more were on standby, a spokesman for the Lithuanian air force said.

The vessel was in international waters off Kaliningrad, between Poland and Lithuania.

The Regina Seaways ferry was built in 2010 and can carry up to 500 passengers.