A tragic incident unfolded off the Dutch coast as a massive car carrier ship, known as the Fremantle Highway, caught fire.
The incident occurred 14.5 nautical miles north of the northern island of Ameland and the blaze resulted in one crew member losing their life and multiple others suffering injuries.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
The Dutch Coast Guard is currently uncertain about the exact cause – at the same time, there is media speculation that the incident might have been sparked by an electric vehicle on board.
However, the Coast Guard said: “How that happened is not known to the Coast Guard.”
The Panama-registered cargo vessel, weighing nearly 18,500 tonnes, was carrying almost 3,000 vehicles at the time of the fire outbreak.
The vehicle carrier was transporting these vehicles from Germany to Egypt.
The executive agency of the Ministry of Infrastructure said: “Rijkswaterstaat is closely involved in the situation at the burning cargo ship north of Ameland. At the moment the ship is still on fire.
“Together with the Coast Guard and salvage companies, RWS is looking at what should happen if the ship has to be towed away and salvaged. We do everything we can to limit the damage to people and the environment as much as possible.”
Just a few hours ago, the Dutch Coast Guard said: “The ship is still on fire. The recovery vessel Hunter has an emergency connection to the ship and thus keeps the ship in a controlled position. Several parties are working on a plan of action to limit the damage as much as possible.”
“The fire on board the Fremantle Highway cannot yet be extinguished Extinguishing the fire can cause stability problems due to water in the ship. In addition, it is not yet possible to put people on board the ship.”
Het schip staat nog in brand. Het bergingsvaartuig Hunter heeft een noodverbinding met het schip en houdt het schip zo gecontroleerd op een positie. Meerdere partijen werken aan een plan van aanpak om de schade zoveel mogelijk te beperken. pic.twitter.com/EYFTJJaHVo
— Kustwacht Nederland (@Kustwacht_nl) July 26, 2023
