'Electric vehicle sparks huge blaze' on cargo ship carrying £100m of cars in North Sea leaving one sailor dead
26 July 2023, 15:04
Dutch rescuers are racing to save a sinking cargo ship after an electric vehicle sparked a huge blaze on board, killing one sailor and injuring several more.
The Fremantle Highway is carrying 3,000 cars worth £100million north of Ameland - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - off the Dutch coast.
Some 23 crew members were rescued from the 18,500 tonne cargo, "many" of which were wounded, according to the Dutch coastguard.
Seven crew members jumped overboard after the blaze broke out, while the rest were taken away in a rescue helicopter, officials said.
Rescue vessels have been working to save the cargo ship from sinking close to an important natural habitat.
"Around midnight the Coast Guard received a report that the Fremantle Highway is on fire," a spokesperson for Dutch coastguard said.
"The crew tried to put out the fire themselves, but failed. Unfortunately one person died and several others were injured.
The crew members were then evacuated to the port of Lauwersoog after initial attempts to extinguish the blaze failed.
Specialist firefighters were brought in from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, but after the blaze worsened, it was no longer to considered safe to bring them in to tackle the fire.
According to the national broadcaster NOS, a rescue vessel has managed to attach a cable to the cargo ship, which has stopped it from drifting away.
"We are taking into account all scenarios," a coastguard official told the NOS.
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In total, there are 2,857 cars on board - 25 of which are electric vehicles. This made tackling the blaze even more difficult, the coastguard said.
"Currently there are a lot of vessels on scene to monitor the situation and to see how to get the fire under control," Lea Versteeg said.
"It's carrying cars, 2,857 of which 25 are electrical cars, which made the fire even more difficult. It's not easy to keep that kind of fire under control and even in such a vessel it's not easy," he added.
German authorities have said they remain on standby to help if necessary.
The Fremantle Highway is close to sinking near Ameland, one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands.
This area has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, housing 10,000 aquatic and terrestrial species, including more than 140 species of fish.
It would be considered a "disaster of the highest order" if the cargo ship sinks.
