A shallow magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck close to Papua New Guinea's remote island of New Britain on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey said, triggering a tsunami warning for parts of the Pacific that was later lifted.

The offshore quake hit around 33 km (20 miles) east of the town of Rabaul at a depth of around 10 km at 1058 p.m. local time, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in the area.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 1,000 km of the quake's epicentre along the coasts of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It later said the threat had passed, based on available data.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said early Wednesday that the quake posed no tsunami risk to Japan.

A 7.5 quake hit Papua New Guinea some 900 km further west in February, killing at least 100 people.