The Fremantle Highway is towed into the Port of Eemshaven, the Netherlands, August 3, 2023. Photo: Dutch Coast Guard
AMSTERDAM, Aug 3 (Reuters) – The car carrier that caught fire last week off the coast of the Netherlands has arrived at the northern Dutch port of Eemshaven for salvage, officials there said on Thursday.
One crew member died when the blaze broke out on the Fremantle Highway on July 26 as it was travelling from Germany to Egypt. Seven others who jumped overboard to escape the flames were injured.
“Most of the ship has now been inspected and there are no indications that there is still fire on board,” the Dutch Ministry of Public Works and Water Management said in a statement.
Safety experts remained on board the Panama-registered ship during the 64-km (40-mile) towing operation which started north of the islands of Ameland and Schiermonnikoog in difficult weather, the ministry added.
Ship charter company “K” Line said on Friday there were 3,783 vehicles on board, including 498 electric vehicles.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire.
An emergency responder was heard in a recording released by Dutch broadcaster RTL as saying “the fire started in the battery of an electric car.”But that has not been confirmed by authorities.
(Reporting by Geert De Clercq, Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Sharon SingletonEditing by Bernadette Baum, Kim Coghill and Andrew Heavens)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,747 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
Swedish police said on Thursday they had boarded the Yi Peng 3 vessel, which is at the center of an investigation into Baltic Sea cable breaches, at the invitation of the Chinese authorities.
Spilled oil has washed up along “tens of kilometers” of the Russian Black Sea coast after two tankers were badly damaged in a storm at the weekend, a regional official said on Tuesday, and state media said a third ship was now in trouble.
Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 remains at anchor in international waters of Denmark’s Kattegat Strait a month after the C-Lion 1 and BCS East-West Interlink cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged.
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,747 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
