THE HAGUE, July 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Authorities were racing to prevent a possible ecological disaster off the Dutch coast where a blaze raged aboard a car carrier ship for a second day.
The Fremantle Highway, a Panamanian-flagged vessel, remained tethered to a salvage ship but was drifting westwards following a fire that broke out on board late on Tuesday.
“The fire is still burning on board,” the Dutch Coast Guard said in its latest update, adding that the vessel was drifting westward in the wind and current.
The Fremantle Highway was “now 16 kilometres off the island of Terschelling,” it said, adding: “The vessel is currently kept outside the traffic lanes, so that shipping traffic can pass at a safe distance”.
“The temperature on board remains very high and putting out the fire is difficult,” Coast Guard spokesman Edwin Granneman said.
Firefighting vessels have had to stop spraying the ship to cool it down “in order to prevent too much water coming on board” as it affected the ship’s stability, the Coast Guard said.
“Earlier the ship was continuously cooled, but the blaze was more intense,” they said.
One sailor died after he and 22 others – all from India – were rescued from the burning ship, carrying around 3,000 vehicles, and forcing some crew members to jump overboard.
The blaze erupted shortly before midnight on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) – which probes accidents and disasters in the Netherlands – said it will assist in the investigation into the on-board fire.
“Panamanian authorities are in charge of the probe, as the ship is registered there,” the OVV posted online.
Shoei Kisen Kaisha, the ship’s owners have said there was a “good chance that the fire started with electric cars”, but added that the cause still needs to be investigated.
The ship remained close to Terschelling and Ameland, which are part of an archipelago of ecologically sensitive islands situated in the Wadden Sea.
The area spanning the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a rich diversity of more than 10,000 aquatic and terrestrial species.
The Fremantle Highway is an 18,500-tonne vessel and was sailing between Bremerhaven in Germany and Port Said in Egypt before its final destination in Singapore. — NNN-AGENCIES
