An end to the drama surrounding the badly damaged car freighter off the Dutch coast is in sight. The “Fremantle Highway” has been on its way to the safe harbor in Eemshaven since Thursday morning, a good week after the fire broke out.
According to the experts, the situation on board is stable enough for transport. A spokesman for the water authority said the ship was intact and the fire had gone out. But there is still a risk that flames will flare up again.
Since the morning, the freighter with around 3800 cars on board has been towed along the Wadden Sea coast to Eemshaven, around 64 kilometers from the previous anchorage off the island of Schiermonnikoog. The port is located at the mouth of the Ems, opposite the German side with East Frisian Emden.
Slowly and carefully
According to the spokesman, the ship, which is around 200 meters long, is so badly damaged that it is only being towed “very slowly and carefully” for safety reasons. Specialists on board constantly checked the stability, and a special ship that could clear oil in an emergency accompanied the transport. Arrival is scheduled for the early afternoon.
During the night, the Minister for Infrastructure, Mark Harbers, after consulting all the experts, decided that the freighter should be relocated to Eemshaven. That’s the best option, the spokesman said. “The short distance limits risks.” And in Eemshaven, the ship can be unloaded and pollutants disposed of. It had loaded around 3,800 new cars, including almost 500 electric cars.
In view of the great damage, the ship had to be relocated. “You don’t want something like that on the open sea,” said the spokesman. The risks of oil leaks through cracks in the steel walls or even capsizing increased. And for the afternoon hard north-west wind is forecast.
The “Fremantle Highway” was on its way from Bremerhaven to Singapore when a fire broke out a week ago. The source of the fire was probably the battery of an electric car. But that’s not confirmed yet. A man from India had died during the evacuation of the ship. The remaining 22 crew members were rescued.
