A fire has broken out on US naval ship New Orleans off Japan’s Okinawa prefecture.

Dramatic footage shared by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK shows flames raging while the vessel was moored close to the American military port known as ‘White Beach’ in Uruma City.

Multiple fire engines are shown pumping water onto the main deck after the outbreak.

The fire is understood to have started around 5pm local time (9am UK) and continued to spread for some time.

Smoke was confirmed rising from the bow of the ship,but there has been no request to evacuate the crew so far.

Multiple self-defence force vessels were deployed to extinguish the flames and the Japan Coast Guard has also dispatched a patrol boat to the scene.

There have so far been no confirmed reports of injuries and the cause of the fire remains unclear.

Until the US Navy issues a formal statement,the extent of the damage and the ship’s future status remain uncertain.

The cause of the fire remains unclear

A statement from the Nakagusuku Coast Guard Headquarters in Okinawa said: ‘A fire has broken out on a US vessel off the coast of White Beach.

‘The crew is currently engaged in firefighting efforts but we have requested the Japan Coast Guard to provide firefighting assistance.’

The New Orleans (LPD 18) is a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock,designed to carry Marines and their equipment into contested areas.

At 208 metres in length,the ship is capable of carrying an estimated 700 Marines,surging to 800 in wartime,and deploying them ashore using landing craft or helicopters.

Its defensive suite includes two 30 mm Bushmaster II guns for surface threats and RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers for aerial defence.