Splash247.com — 2023-07-26
Maritime and Ports
Around midnight on 26 July 2023, the Dutch coastguard received a report that a major fire broke out on the Fremantle Highway car carrier.
The vessel, owned by Shoei Kisen and chartered by K Line, had 23 crew members onboard and, at the time, was sailing 27 kilometres north of Ameland.
The crew initially attempted to extinguish the fire themselves but were unsuccessful. The fire continued to spread, prompting an evacuation. The crew members were evacuated by helicopters and lifeboats. Several members of the crew had to jump into the water to save themselves from the fire.
According to the Dutch coastguard, one crew member died, and several were injured. The people on board were taken to Lauwersoog and Eelde airport. Sixteen injured people were then taken by ambulance to nearby hospitals, all with breathing problems.
The Fremantle Highway is still on fire and several emergency services are still present near the ship and there are fears that the vessel may sink. Reports claim that the fire erupted on the cargo deck and then probably spread to other decks.
The recovery vessel Hunter has an emergency connection to the ship and thus keeps the ship in a controlled position. Currently, several parties such as recovery companies and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management are looking at the best way to limit the damage as much as possible.
The ship is located near the Wadden Islands which are a World Heritage area. If the ship were to sink the environmental effects on the area would be immense.
The ship left Bremerhaven at around 14:30 UTC on 25 July 2023, bound for Egypt. The fire erupted at around 21:30 UTC. The car carrier was carrying 2,857 cars on board, 25 of which were EVs.
Reports have come out that the fire started in one of the EVs which is a major issue. The EVs on board are a serious fire accelerant since its lithium-ion batteries when on fire can reach temperatures of more than 2,700 degrees Celsius.