Amsterdam residents sent NL-Alert warning about major fire on scrap metal ship

A fire on a container ship in Amsterdam prompted emergency services workers to issue a warning on Thursday evening about smoke development to people in the western portion of the city. The fire was first reported at about 5 p.m., and heavy plumes of smoke were released in the hours that followed, leading authorities to send four different NL-Alert bulletins to smartphones located in the affected area from 7:40 p.m. through 11:45 p.m.

By midnight, bulletins about the smoke were sent to people in the area of Schiphol Airport, Amstelveen, Aalsmeer, Uithoorn, De Kwakel, and Oudekerk aan de Amstel. Portions of Amsterdam affected by smoke development include the Western Canal Ring, the Jordaan, Vrije Universiteit, Bos en Lommer, Sloterdijk, Slotermeer, De Baarsjes, the Olympic Stadium, and many other neighborhoods in the west, southwest, and south sides of the city.

There were no known injuries, and anyone in areas affected by smoke development were advised to stay indoors, and keep their doors and windows shut. Mechanical ventilation systems should be turned off, the Amsterdam-Amstelland Fire Department said, noting the many "complaints about the stench."

The incident started near the AST Amsterdam Scrap Terminal located on the IJ River at the Vlothavenweg, a street in the city's Westelijk Havengebied. The mild northerly wind continued over the course of the evening while the smoke billowed from the harbor area, forcing authorities to expand their warning beyond just the western parts of Amsterdam.

At the start of Friday morning, the wide area was bordered by the Westelijk Havengebied and the NDSM-Werf at the north, extending to Rijsenhout and Mijdrecht. "I live on the Admiraal de Ruijterweg, was sitting in the garden and felt very short of breath," one resident told AT5.

The ship involved in the fire was carrying scrap metal. The material was being offloaded from the ship to help firefighters tackle the blaze. A spokesperson for the regional fire service told AT5 that they were trying to get a portion of the material on fire off the ship and on land so they could more easily extinguish it and prevent it from flaring up again.

First responders quickly changed the status of the emergency response to a major fire, and waves of personnel were sent to the port area to attempt to extinguish the blaze. "Due to the source of the fire being difficult to reach, the fire brigade expects an extended deployment," the fire department stated.

The situation was further escalated to a Grip 1 regional emergency, a protocol which makes more personnel available while designating a single incident commander for all responding departments. A team that specializes in fighting ship fires in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region was also asked to provide support and advice, the Amsterdam-Amstelland Fire Department stated.

A dive team was mobilized as a precaution, along with a massive water system capable of pumping out 4,000 liters per minute, according to AT5. Firefighters from Amsterdam were joined by colleagues from neighboring municipalities, including Aalsmeer, Zaandam and Duivendrecht, records show.

The website for the AST Amsterdam Scrap Terminal describes the firm as being specialized in the recycling and export of different metals to Turkey. The company imports scrap metal from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg by both truck and inland shipping vessels.

"At our Amsterdam hub, the material is then loaded into ocean faring vessels," the company stated. It utilizes 30,000 square meters of space, which is on privately owned land.