Cargo Ship On Fire in the North Sea

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https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/electric-vehicle-suspected-of-causing-blaze-aboard-cargo-ship-carrying-3000-cars-5430515?src_src=morningbriefnoe&src_cmp=mb-2023-07-30&est=%2Ff3NGpMQxAn3%2BPuaKSsN4XaLPDQvpNPh1POdq%2Frb9ubz97KgjydT%2FyzKtyG3fjUs

An electric car has been suspected of causing a blaze aboard a cargo ship carrying almost 3,000 vehicles off of the Netherlands.

The ship's owners told Dutch media that they suspect an EV battery explosion for being the cause of the deadly fire.

The Dutch Coast Guard said that the 18,500-tonne burning car carrier, Fremantle Highway, was en route from Bremerhaven, Germany, to Port Said, Egypt, when the blaze broke out on Wednesday.

It said, citing a freight list, that the ship was carrying 2,857 vehicles, including 25 electric cars.

Pat Adamson, company spokesman for K Line who chartered the ship, later corrected that number to a total of 3,783 new vehicles, including 498 electric vehicles. He added that K Line didn't know the source of the incorrect freight list.

Shoei Kisen Kaisha, the Japanese ship leasing company that manages the Fremantle, said that the cargo ship was underway to its final destination in Singapore when the fire broke out.

Around 350 of the vehicles on board were cars from Mercedes-Benz, said the shipping company.

"There is a good chance that the fire started with electric cars," the company told the NOS public broadcaster. "But we are not entirely sure of the cause, we are waiting for the investigation."

Bloomberg ship tracking data reported that the ship left the German port of Bremen on July 25 before deviating off course after the fire broke out.

Rescue ships and helicopters evacuated 23 crew members, mostly from India, but one sailor was killed in the blaze, reported Dutch broadcaster NOS.

Several crew members jumped overboard to escape the quick-moving flames and were treated for injuries, said Willard Molenaar of the Royal Dutch Rescue Company (KNRM), who was among the first at the scene.

“There was a lot of smoke, and the fire spread quickly, much faster than expected,” he said, adding that “the people on board had to get off quickly … We fished them out of the water.”

"They all suffered from breathing problems, but none are in serious danger," another safety official told AFP.