Ship carrying cars was found in flames when a high flame fire broke out on Tuesday night. It was a 199-metre Panama-registered Fremantle Highway which was supposed to be going from Germany to Egypt and was caught in flames near the Dutch Coast. The cargo vessel was carrying as much as 3,000 cars.
The incident caused the crew members to jump overboard in order to save their lives, wherein an Indian crewman was met by a tragic death. Around 20 people are reported to be injured. Dutch coast guards described the fire to last at least for several days looking at the massive flames as the ship was all covered in smoke in Netherlands waters.
Image source : Reuters
The report of the death was posted by the Indian Embassy in the Netherlands breaking the sad news of losing an Indian national away from home. The tweet expressed the dismay caused by the incident on this Wednesday. The embassy also mentioned that it’s providing its assistance to the family of the deceased with repatriation of the mortal remains.
Not just that, but the embassy is also reportedly in touch with the other 20 crew members who were found injured. They are now safe and under medical attention. The Embassy is coordinating with the Dutch authorities along with the shipping company to provide as much assistance as it can. They made the statement offering all efforts to be made in the matter.
Speculations are that the fire was started by one of the 25 electric cars on board, as shared by Dutch National Broadcaster NOS. There were 23 crew members on board who initially made the attempt to put off the fire by themselves but they weren’t aware of the enormity of the stake. A distress call was made some 30 kilometres away from the coast of the Wadden Sea island of Ameland after which specialised firefighters were brought in from Rotterdam.
Rest of the Crew
Seven of the crew jumped into the sea to save their lives and were picked up by nearby ships and rescue boats sent in order to control the situation. The remaining crew members were rescued by helicopters, however it is not yet clear how the person who died was killed, as per the Dutch news.
The pictures of the ship ‘Fremantle Highway’ show large wisps of grey smoke emitting from the ship inducting fears that the vessel could sink 27 kilometres north of the Dutch island, Ameland, off the Wadden Sea which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site considered to be one of the most important regions for migratory birds in the world. Dutch firefighters have been struggling to control the fire for more than 16 hours after the blaze but have been unable to do so.
What happens with the ship
Coastguards have reported it to be now too dangerous to attempt, as the fire hints to not stop for even weeks to be coming. It is reported that if one starts filling the ship with water, it risks destabilising it and can aid it tip over as per spokesman Edwin Grammeman who talked with NOS.
Now since the fire doesn’t seem to stop, authorities are now focusing their efforts on preventing the Panamanian ship from sinking. A tugboat from the Wadden Island water taxi service Rederij Noordgat was appointed to attach a rope to the Fremantle Highway and prevent it from drifting into shipping lanes while other boats are kept on standby in order to try to help pull the vessel to safety.
