Burnt-out freighter arrives at Eemshaven; €300 million in cargo lost

The Fremantle Highway arrived in Eemshaven around 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, according to ANP. A few dozen people had gathered at the Groningen port to watch the burnt-out and damaged freighter get towed in. The freight loss on the ship is likely more than 300 million euros, according to the American economist Patrick Anderson.

The ship departed from its temporary location about 16 kilometers north of Schiermonnikoog and Ameland, where it had been since Monday, at around 5:00 a.m. Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure decided on the Groningen port as the most suitable location partly because of the short distance that had to be covered and the infrastructure and facilities available at the port. The ship will dock in the Julianahaven.

The fire on the freighter, carrying nearly 4,000 brand-new cars, started late on July 25. A week later, on August 1, the Rijkswaterstaat reported that the fire seemed to be out.

“It does appear that after multiple days of fire, it is likely that all of the cars are a total loss and be very difficult to salvage any vehicles out of this,” economist Patric Anderson of the Anderson Economic Group told Automotive News. “Certainly, no vehicle that endured that fire damage and water damage can be sold as new in the United States.”