Burning cargo ship north of Terschelling will be towed this weekend

The burning cargo ship Fremantle Highway that has been on fire for three days near Terschelling is expected to be towed away this weekend. The ship will then be moved to a temporary anchorage 16 kilometers north of Schiermonnikoog, Rijkswaterstaat reported.

The exact timing of the towing of the freighter depends, among other things, on the smoke development and weather forecasts. However, according to Rijkswaterstaat, it will probably take place this weekend. The tow will take between 12 and 14 hours.

Once at the designated anchorage, the situation will be reviewed. According to Rijkswaterstaat, the vessel will be towed to a port at some point. Which one, however, is still unclear.

"We keep our finger on the pulse and our heart in our hand. Rijkswaterstaat is coordinating and doing everything possible to keep it on track," the mayor of Schiermonnikoog, Ineke van Gent, said in a message on X, formerly Twitter.

It is not yet clear when the towing of the freighter to a temporary site north of Schiermonnikoog can begin. "It is planned for Saturday, but we can't give an exact time yet," a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) said.

According to RWS, the moment of towing depends, among other things, on the smoke development, the weather forecast, the tide and the current. "We keep a close eye on all these aspects and therefore require good preparation together with the recovery companies. We are doing everything we can to limit the damage to people and the environment as much as possible," Rijkswaterstaat said.

The cooperating salvage companies, which are close to the burning freighter, were on board on Friday to establish a tow connection that will allow the ship to be moved more easily. Rijkswaterstaat reported that the ship is stable and intact below the waterline and is also not tilting.

The burning cargo ship is currently located about 23 kilometers north of Terschelling, and is between shipping lanes, according to RTL Nieuws.

Preparations for towing the freighter to its eastern location have now begun. According to Rijkswaterstaat, the location north of Schiermonnikoog is "a better starting position that corresponds to the different scenarios and expected weather conditions."

The Coastguard will provide shipping guidance. Rijkswaterstaat reported that no direct impact is expected on the inhabitants and nature of the Wadden Islands.

On Friday, it was reported that there were about 500 electric cars on board the burning freighter. The ship has a total of 3,783 cars on board, all of them brand new. The increased number of electric cars could affect the emergency service’s plans to extinguish the massive fire on the cargo ship as the battery packs of electric cars can burn for a long time and are complicated to extinguish.