Burnt-Out Ship Carrying 3,700 Cars Safely Towed To Dutch Port Of Eemshaven

A burnt-out transport ship carrying thousands of cars was successfully towed to the northern Dutch port of Eemshaven after catching fire at sea more than a week ago, averting a potential environmental disaster, The Guardian reported citing officials. The Fremantle Highway, a Panamanian-flagged ship, was transporting 3,783 new cars, including 498 electric vehicles, when the fire broke out off the Dutch coast on July 25. One sailor died, but 22 others were rescued. 

“I can confirm the ship has arrived in Eemshaven,” Jente Wieldraaijer, a regional safety authority spokesperson, was quoted as saying by The Guardian. 

The fire had raised fears of an ecological disaster in the Wadden chain of islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site spanning the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark, the report said. 

According to the report, local media captured images of tugboats carefully guiding the burnt-out vessel into Eemshaven after its journey from a holding position. Despite the challenging situation, the regional safety authority confirmed that the ship has now safely arrived at the port.

For days, the situation had been under control, but rough weather conditions in the North Sea had heightened worries that the ship could potentially leak oil or even sink while being towed to the port, the report said. A specialised oil spill cleanup vessel had closely followed the Fremantle Highway throughout its journey to prevent any environmental damage.

The ship had previously been anchored 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of the islands of Schiermonnikoog and Ameland, where it was carefully towed on Sunday and Monday, the report said. The cause of the fire is unknown, though the vessel’s owner has suggested that it could have been started by one of the electric vehicles onboard, it added. 

To escape the spreading flames, some crew members were forced to jump overboard from great heights during the incident, as per the report, several members of the crew were taken to the hospital for treatment. Authorities will conduct additional investigations to determine the exact cause of the fire and assess any potential environmental impacts now that the ship has been safely towed to Eemshaven, it said.