Fire erupts in steel scrap on ship in Terneuzen harbor

A fire erupted in the cargo hold of the ship Strait Pearl in Terneuzen harbor. The blaze broke out around 11:23 p.m. in a pile of steel scrap stored in the hold, according to the Veiligheidsregio Zeeland.

Firefighters responded with multiple fire trucks and a Cobra high-pressure system, designed for extinguishing fires in enclosed spaces, ZeelandVeilig reported. They were also cooling the exterior walls of the hold where the scrap is stored.

Officials said the ship’s CO2 fire suppression system was used in two attempts to control the blaze, but both efforts failed. “A scrap fire is difficult to extinguish and can produce significant smoke,” a Veiligheidsregio spokesperson said.

The fire has been classified as a smoldering fire, a type of blaze caused by heat buildup within steel. In large piles, heat can become trapped, leading to glowing, smoldering, or even open flames.

As a precaution, the fire department escalated the situation to GRIP 1, a regional crisis protocol allowing coordinated communication and cooperation among all emergency services at the scene. The spokesperson added, “Extinguishing a fire in steel scrap can take a long time.”