Dutch salvage specialists will make a new attempt to put out the fire on the car freighter “Fremantle Highway”. Today they want to draw up a rescue plan.
As soon as the temperature permits, the experts could inspect the ship, the Coast Guard said. When the ship is stable enough, it can be towed to a safe place.
The fire had lost strength on Thursday evening. According to the coast guard, flames could no longer be seen on the ship, about 16 kilometers north of the islands of Terschelling and Ameland. However, the Coast Guard said it was too early to give the all-clear. The fire could flare up again.
Worried about a huge environmental catastrophe
The extinguishing work is difficult. Because too much water on the freighter could cause it to capsize. Until now, the sides of the 200-meter-long steel colossus have been cooled by fire boats. But the cooling was interrupted yesterday for the time being. According to the coast guard, too much sea water got into the boat.
The freighter is now more tightly coupled to a tug, which stabilizes its position. This means that shipping traffic is not endangered. The “Fremantle Highway” drifts slightly due to wind and currents. But that doesn’t worry the emergency services.
It is still feared that the freighter with around 3,800 cars on board will sink or break up. This could mean an enormous catastrophe for the North Sea. Oil and the cargo would then also endanger the natural area of the Wattensee.
The cause of the fire is still unclear
According to information from the responsible ministry, the forecasts for wind and currents are favorable. Should fuel spill out of the ship, it would flow north into the open sea. Nevertheless, for safety reasons, a special ship for recovering oil is already moored near the freighter.
The freighter flying the Panama flag was on its way from Bremerhaven to Singapore when the fire broke out on Wednesday night. The cause of the fire is still unclear. The source of the fire may have been in the battery of an electric car. The ship has loaded 25 electric cars.
There are no longer any people on board the “Fremantle Highway”. The crew was evacuated on Wednesday. One person died in the process. The remaining 22 crew members were slightly injured.
