Burning car carrier off Dutch coast being towed away from shipping lanes
Towing of the Fremantle Highway, a pure car and truck carrier which has been burning off the Dutch coast for days, has been finally launched, according to Offshore Energy.
The car carrier was taken under tow on Sunday afternoon as the smoke from the vessel subsided considerably, Rijkswaterstaat, a government agency overseeing water management, transportation infrastructure, and environmental protection in the Netherlands, said in an update.
An additional towage line was put in place with two tugs starting to tow the stricken car carrier in a slow and controlled manner, going approximately 3 knots, 5.5 km/h.
Local salvage companies Multraship and Smit Salvage are undertaking the salvage operation.
The plan is to take the ship to a temporary location some 16 kilometers north of Schiermonnikoog and Ameland. The vessel will remain connected to the tugs once at the new location, to keep the ship under control.
Ameland, located in the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is part of the northern Wadden Islands, known for their ecological significance; hence, the potential oil spill from the fire-stricken car carrier poses a significant environmental risk.
Rijkswaterstaat said that the ship’s stability is being continuously monitored during the operation. Pollution control vessel MS Arca is staying close by as a precautionary measure together with other ships from the Dutch and German coast guard.
As disclosed, ships in the vicinity and coastguard aircraft will continue to surveil the situation and a review of the situation on board will take place once at the temporary anchorage.
Ultimately, the agencies want to tow the ship to a port, once the situation on board allows it. The exact port to host Fremantle Highway is yet to be determined.
The fire was reported to the Dutch coast guard on Tuesday evening, July 25, shortly before midnight, as the car carrier, loaded with nearly 3,000 vehicles, was sailing some 27 kilometers north of Ameland, an island off the northern Dutch coast.
The vessel is owned by Shoei Kisen, and managed by Wallem Ship Management.
Media reports were quick to pin the cause of the fire on the electric cars the ship was transporting, however, the coast guard reiterated on several occasions that the cause of the fire was yet to be determined.
