A large cargo ship caught fire Wednesday, killing one and forcing other crew members to evacuate.
The Panama-registered Fremantle Highway is currently blazing as of Wednesday afternoon near The Netherlands, according to the Dutch coast guard. At the time fire broke out on the 655-foot vessel, it was carrying 3,783 vehicles from Germany to Egypt.
The Indian Embassy put out a statement on social media confirming one of its citizens was the victim. At this time, there are no other reported casualties and the embassy said it was in contact with the deceased’s family.
Reuters reports, among other outlets, that rescue ships attempted to spray water onto the burning vessel to bring the blaze under control. However, the coast guard could not use too much water without risking the ship sinking. Dutch media reported the fire could last several days, as the ship continues to burn near the island of Ameland.
Right now, authorities have not confirmed whether a malfunctioning vehicle started the fire. Of the nearly 4,000 vehicles on board, 498 were electric, leading to widespread reports suggesting a defective lithium-ion battery sparked this event. Early Dutch reports quite an unnamed Dutch coast guard spokesperson who suggests an EV may have caused the blaze. However, the authorities making the statement did not blatantly lay the blame on the electric cars — that determination will require days, weeks or possibly even months of investigation.
This is not the only widely reported cargo ship fire we’ve seen in recent years. Back in March 2022, the Felicity Ace sank off the Portuguese-held Azores, taking 4,000 VW Group cars down with it.
Update/correction 7/28/2023: Initial reports quoted the wrong numbers for the amount of vehicles on the ship, as well as the proportion of electric vehicles. Those numbers have been corrected.
