As if the sinking of the Felicity Ace in the spring of 2022 was not enough, we now learn that another vessel carrying new vehicles has been engulfed in flames off the Netherlands in the Wadden Sea since Tuesday.
At the time of this writing, the fire was still in progress, while the emergency services tried by all means to put out the blaze. According to what reported Automotive News on July 28, 2023, one of the crew members, of Indian origin, is said to have lost his life. Seven other members were injured after attempting to escape by jumping overboard.
Nearly 500 electric vehicles
The Fremantle Highway left Germany for Egypt. The freighter, owned by the Japanese company K-Line (Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha), had to interrupt its journey because of a violent fire which would have started on board, where the vehicles were stored. According to K-Line, 3,783 vehicles were parked inside the ship, which measures 199 meters (653 feet) in length. Among them, there would be 498 electric vehicles. The company, however, preferred not to disclose which brands or models it is.
Mercedes-Benz, BMW and MINI would nevertheless have confirmed to Automotive News the presence of some of their models on board, while Volkswagen is investigating whether it is also affected. Other manufacturers, such as Toyota, Ford, Stellantis, Nissan and Renault have reportedly claimed that their vehicles are “unlikely” to be on board this vessel. Tesla, meanwhile, never responded to media inquiries.
Although the Dutch Coast Guard announced on Thursday July 27 that the cause of the fire was unknown, one of the rescuers reportedly confirmed that it was indeed an electric vehicle on board the ship that triggered the blaze. The ship is currently adrift some 17 kilometers north of the Netherlands.
Obviously, it is still too early to know more about this tragedy. We’ll have to wait a while for the emergency services to get the blaze under control, and the rest of the crew to be safe and sound before painting a full picture. So we’ll get back to you with more details as they become available.
