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Even after more than 24 hours, the fire in the Dutch Wadden Sea has not yet been extinguished. Emergency services are fighting the flames on the freighter "Fremantle Highway", about 27 kilometers off the island of Ameland. The rescue ships try to cool the burning ship with water. However, direct extinguishing of the fire is dangerous, according to the coast guard. The extinguishing water could capsize the ship.
Edwin Granneman, Dutch Coast Guard:
"At the moment we are using a smaller tugboat. He's not in an ideal position to tow, but he can keep the freighter in its current position."
The "Fremantle Highway" was on its way from Bremerhaven to Singapore – loaded with almost 3000,25 cars – when a fire broke out on Wednesday night. The cause is unclear. A possible cause of the fire could be one of the <> electric cars on board.
The crew tried in vain to extinguish the fire, but then had to leave the ship.
Edwin Granneman, Dutch Coast Guard:
"When the evacuation began, people jumped off the ship. They were immediately taken out of the water by lifeboats, and people were also disembarked by Coast Guard helicopter."
During the evacuation, one crew member died, 22 people were slightly injured.
Specialists and the water authority are now considering how to salvage the ship, which is about 200 meters long. Because there is a threat of an environmental catastrophe: If oil and the thousands of cars on board get into the water, it could contaminate the coasts and the Wadden Sea, which is under protection. That would also be a threat to the German Wadden Sea islands.
The Dutch Coast Guard fears that the fire on board the Fremantle Highway could last for days or even weeks. On Thursday morning, German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke held out the prospect of German support for the salvage. A German emergency tractor is also used to extinguish the fire.