Netherlands Tows Burning Cargo Ship, But Questions Remain (Worthy News Radio)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
AMELAND, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Authorities in the Netherlands have towed a burning cargo ship carrying thousands of cars, including electric vehicles, to a temporary location to avoid a major ecological disaster.
The vessel, registered in Panama, caught fire last week off the Dutch coast, killing a sailor on board and injuring some of the other 22 crew. It was still unclear what caused the blaze, though there were reports that one or more electric cars on board may have been the source.
With the shop on fire, residents of two islands near the disaster, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog, have lived between hope and desperation.
Worthy News established that fishermen in their boats circled the burning cargo ship to offer help if necessary. They and many others have been in shock for over a week, fearing the vessel will precipitate an ecological disaster.
Two tug boats towed the vessel, called the Fremantle Highway, to a new location. It was carrying nearly 4000 new cars, including around 500 electric vehicles.
During the week, the Dutch National Institute for Water Management said the smoke from the burning ship had subsided, but the danger was not over yet.
Worried residents, including children, have watched the smoke from the beach at Ameland.
UNESCO SITE
These islands straddle the Wadden Sea and the North Sea. The Wadden Sea is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the region is home to more than 10,000 species of plants and animals.
The Fremantle Highway was sailing from the German port of Bremerhaven to Singapore when it caught fire about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of Ameland.
Rescue worker Willard Molenaar was among the first to arrive at the scene. He told reporters he wouldn’t forget the horrors of seeing the tragedy unfold and the crew jumping off the burning ship.
“It was, of course, terrible for them to jump into the sea from 30 meters high. It meant that we had to pick them out of the water one by one,” Molenaar recalled. “It was a team effort that also included colleagues from the island of Schiermonnikoog. I was involved in the rescue of seven men.”
Yet for one sailor, help came too late while many of his colleagues were seriously injured. The blaze added to mounting concern here about the amount of freight shipping passing by these islands.
The mayor of Ameland, Leo Pieter Stoel, is concerned about the future of his island, home to nearly 4,000 people who seemingly are outnumbered by the many tourists.
“That ship is full of fuel oil. Of course, we don’t want that oil on the beaches of this island,” the major said as he watched the ship from the beach. “But also not in the Wadden Sea. I am also concerned about the birds getting covered with oil. Then they can no longer fly, which would be an even greater tragedy for nature here,” he added.
SAFETY ISSUES
Reports that the blaze started in one or more of the electric cars on board, known for their large, highly inflammable batteries, comes amid concerns about the safety issues of electric cars.
The government wants to make the Netherlands an electric cars-only nation by 2030.
But real-estate developers and local politicians around Amsterdam recently said they needed to prepare better if an electric vehicle caught fire in an underground garage. They pointed out such a fire could rage for at least 24 hours.
This is just the latest massive fire at sea involving a cargo ship. Last year a Felicity Ace vessel caught fire and eventually sank in heavy seas some 400 kilometers (250 miles) off Portugal’s Azores island chain.
It was also carrying cars – around 4,000 luxury brands, such as Porsches, Bentleys, and Lamborghinis. The cargo was valued at $155 million.
That cargo was transported from Germany to the United States when the vessel caught fire. And it’s thought the blaze was caused by a battery in one of the electric vehicles on board.
Dutch investigators are now trying to find out what led to the fire on the Fremantle Highway.
(With additional reporting by Johan Th. Bos in Amstelveen, Netherlands)