SHANGHAI - The rescue ship East China Rescue 111 is expected to reach a cargo ship that caught fire on Saturday in waters near Okinawa, local authorities said Sunday.

The Mingyang, a refrigerated fishing ship, caught fire late Saturday night and the incident was reported to the East China Rescue Bureau under the Ministry of Transport at 2:35 am Sunday, said officials with the bureau.

Sixty-four Chinese sailors onboard have been saved by Japanese rescue ships. China's rescue ship is expected to reach the site, about 450 nautical miles southeast of Dachen Island of Zhejiang province, at 9 am Monday to salvage the Mingyang, officials said.

The Mingyang, 144 meters long and 13.6 meters wide, has a transport capacity of 12,703 tonnes.