Fear for ecological disaster as efforts continue to keep burning cargo ship from sinking

The Dutch Coast Guard and other emergency services are still fighting to extinguish a fire on a cargo ship carrying 3,000 cars on the North Sea north of Ameland and keep the vessel from sinking. If the Fremantle HIghway does sink, it would be an ecological disaster, according to Stichting De Noordzee.

There were 23 crew members on board the cargo ship when the fire started at around midnight. One died, and several got hurt. The rescue services removed all 23 crew members from the ship, rescuing some from the water after they jumped overboard.

Sixteen struggled with breathing problems from smoke inhalation, according to RTL Nieuws. They were not in critical danger and were taken by helicopter to the Ede airfield. The other seven, including the deceased person, were taken to Lauwersoog. From there, they went to hospitals in Emmen, Groningen, Drachten, and Leeuwarden with various injuries.

At 11:27 a.m., the Coast Guard reported that the ship was still burning and listing about 30 kilometers from Ameland. A salvage vessel, the Hunter, had attached itself to the Fremantle Highway to keep it in place while extinguishing boats tried to extinguish the flames from the sea. “Multiple parties are working on a plan of action to limit the damage as much as possible,” the Coast Guard said.

The service also said that multiple small airplanes were heading to the Fremantle Highway, hindering the extinguishing and stabilization work. It urged civilians to stay away from the ship.

Outgoing Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure expressed support for the crew members and their families. “I would also like to express my appreciation to all the emergency services on site who are doing their utmost to limit further impact,” he said.

If the ship, which flies under the flag of Panama, does sink, it would be a disaster for the North Sea and the Wadden Sea, Ewout van Galen of Stichting De Noordzee said to ANP. “It means that the ship with its fuel and the cargo of thousands of cars will end up on the North Sea floor. A potential disaster for the environment, and it is to be hoped that the ship can be salvaged and the pollution remains limited.”

Van Galen referred to the MSC Zoe, which lost 342 containers during a severe storm in January 2019, causing massive pollution in the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. Hundreds of thousands of kilograms of waste are still lying on the sea bed over four years later, according to the foundation. “Both today’s incident and the MSC Zoe disaster happened on a very busy route close to a sensitive natural area. The fact that these ships are large in size makes the risks even greater. We need to prevent these kinds of disasters, and if they do happen, it must be clear who is responsible for clearing the mess from the seabed,” Van Galen said to the news wire.