A cargo ship that caught fire off the Dutch coast this week was carrying significantly more electric vehicles (EVs) than originally estimated, according to updated reports from officials and the shipping company.
After battling heat, smoke, and flames for several days, salvage crews were finally able to board the vessel, the Fremantle Highway, as temperatures began to drop, and the fire’s intensity started to decrease. This allowed workers to secure a stronger towing connection to help stabilize the ship and prepare it for relocation.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, July 26, while the Fremantle Highway was en route from Germany to Egypt, resulting in the tragic death of one crew member and injuries to several others. Early reports from the Netherlands’ coastguard on the day of the fire suggested that the ship carried fewer vehicles, but after the fire’s intensity decreased and teams were able to survey the vessel, K Line, the company chartering the ship, clarified that there were in fact 3,783 vehicles on board, of which 498 were electric. Initial coastguard reports had estimated around 2,857 vehicles, with only 25 electric vehicles in the cargo.
This discrepancy is significant as it highlights the increasing prevalence of EVs in global shipping cargo, which comes with unique fire hazards due to their lithium-ion batteries. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has previously issued warnings about the dangers associated with EV battery fires. These incidents are often intensified by “thermal runaway,” a process where the battery’s chemical reaction leads to uncontrollable increases in temperature and pressure, fueling intense and difficult-to-control fires.
The crew evacuated the vessel in the early hours after the fire broke out, with some members jumping into the sea to escape the flames. Rescue operations picked them up shortly afterward. The incident occurred around 14 miles north of the island of Terschelling, in an area close to heavily trafficked North Sea shipping lanes and the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed region known as a critical habitat for migratory birds.
In a public statement, K Line spokesman Pat Adamson emphasized that the electric vehicles on board were more numerous than initial records indicated, a detail that raised concerns among environmental and maritime officials. The environmental implications could be severe if the ship were to sink, as German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke warned, given its proximity to the Netherlands’ border with Germany and the ecologically sensitive Wadden Sea. Lemke highlighted the potential risk of an “environmental catastrophe of unknown proportions” should the vessel go down, which would result in toxic substances and heavy metals potentially contaminating a fragile marine ecosystem.
Attempts were made to tow the ship to a secure anchoring location in the North Sea on Saturday, July 29. However, unfavorable weather conditions, including high winds, have impeded this effort.
This fire comes amid growing international scrutiny over the transportation of electric vehicles by sea. Earlier this month, a similar fire erupted on a car transport ship in Newark, New Jersey, where firefighters spent nearly a week to extinguish the flames. That incident resulted in the tragic deaths of two firefighters and injuries to five others.
As authorities continue their investigations, this incident underscores the need for enhanced safety protocols when transporting EVs to prevent hazardous incidents that could lead to loss of life and environmental damage on a massive scale.”