Uncertain fate for 3,700 cars on board burnt-out Fremantle Highway cargo ship

It remains unclear what will happen to the over 3,700 cars that were being transported on the burnt-out cargo ship Fremantle Highway. Around a thousand vehicles on the bottom four decks appear to be in good condition and are "perfectly movable," according to Peter Berdowski, the CEO of Boskalis, one of the salvage companies involved. However, it is not certain that these thousand vehicles, half of which are electric, will actually be removed from the ship.

On the night of Tuesday 25 to Wednesday 26 July, a fire broke out on the freighter with nearly 4,000 cars on board. A week later, on August 1, the Rijkswaterstaat reported that the fire seemed to be out. . One crew member died in the fire; others got hurt. In addition to Volkswagen cars, it also involved BMW and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. There may also be some construction cranes on board.

While the intention is to remove these vehicles, there is no concrete plan in place yet, Berdowski added. Experts from the involved car manufacturers, including Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes, are on their way to assess whether and how the vehicles can be unloaded. "You wouldn't want the cars to catch fire again during the moving process and restart the entire misery," Berdowski noted. "Moreover, these cars have charged batteries with high voltage, which can be extremely dangerous."

As for the remaining 2,700 cars onboard that are heavily damaged, it is very uncertain if they will be removed from the ship. Berdowski emphasized that it was never stated that this would happen at Eemshaven, where the Fremantle Highway was towed last week. These are burnt-out wrecks located on the upper decks. "Some of those decks have fused with the cars. The decks are heavily damaged and difficult to access."

Berdowski mentioned that cars that cannot be safely removed from the ship will "stay on the ship." The Fremantle Highway is allowed to stay in Eemshaven until October 14 at the latest, but after that, it will be moved to another location for repairs or dismantling. "Whether you're repairing or dismantling, the upper decks will have to be removed," Berdowski said. "And while doing that, you can also take out the car wrecks."

Currently, the focus is on the bottom decks, said the CEO. He does not anticipate issues with operations there, despite the significant damage to the top of the ship. "The good news is that the ship's hull and the engine room are relatively undamaged, and we've been able to restart the engines. We are using them for the ship's electricity."

Berdowski expects it will take some time before there is a definitive plan for the cargo ship. "It won't be a matter of just a few days," he said.