Fire-Damaged Car Carrier Morning Midas Shows No Signs of Active Fire
The car carrier Morning Midas, which experienced a fire in its electric vehicle cargo deck on June 3, shows no signs of active fire according to salvage teams that recently...
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.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up