The Dutch authorities are still battling to prevent a potential environmental disaster off the coast where a cargo ship carrying cars is engulfed in flames for the second consecutive day.
The Panamanian-flagged "Fremantle Highway" is currently attached to a tug to hold it in place but the 200 metre-long vessel is drifting west. It was carrying around 3,783 cars – over 900 more than initially reported.
“The fire is still raging on board,” coastguard spokesperson Edwin Granneman said. It is now 16 kilometres (8.6 nautical miles) from the island of Terschelling. “If too much water enters the ship, it can affect its stability,” Granneman told BNR radio.
“The vessel is currently being kept out of traffic lanes so that shipping can proceed at a sufficient safe distance. The temperature on board remains very high and extinguishing the fire is difficult.”
As the emergency goes on the risk of an environmental disaster is growing. This would result from the ship capsizing and sinking, which would bring considerable damage to the environment. The coastguard stated yesterday that the fire could go on for several more days.
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
Tweet translation: The ship is still on fire. The salvage vessel Hunter has an emergency connection to the vessel, keeping it in a controlled position. Multiple parties are working on a plan of action to minimise the damage.
Outgoing Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management Mark Harbers wrote in a letter to Parliament that if a fuel leak occurred it would likely be pushed away from the islands towards the North Sea by the currents and wind.
“It appears that the situation on the vessel has stabilised somewhat,” a spokesperson for Ameland Borough Council told AFP. But they acknowledged their concern and gave assurances that emergency plans have been launched to deal with various scenarios.”
The cause of the fire remains unknown. According to the ship’s Japanese owner, one of the 25 electric cars on board may have started the blaze shortly after midnight on Tuesday. The ship belongs to the same owners as the Ever Given, which blocked the Suez Canal in 2021.
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The islands of Ameland and Terschelling are part of a group of eight Dutch islands (five of which are inhabited) straddling the Wadden Sea and the North Sea in the north of the Netherlands.
The Wadden Sea runs along a coastal region stretching from the Netherlands to Denmark and has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site and boasts a rich diversity of more than 10,000 aquatic and terrestrial species.
Of the 23 crew members on board who were able to be evacuated, one seaman died and several others were injured. The crew are from India, according to Dutch news agency ANP.
