THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A hearth on a freight ship carrying almost 3,000 automobiles was burning uncontrolled Wednesday within the North Sea, and the Dutch coast guard stated one crew member had died, others have been harm and it was working to save lots of the vessel from sinking.
Boats and helicopters have been used to get the 23 crew members off the ship after they tried unsuccessfully to place out the blaze, the coast guard stated in an announcement.
“Presently there are quite a lot of vessels on scene to observe the state of affairs and to see easy methods to get the hearth beneath management,” Coast Guard spokeswoman Lea Versteeg informed The Related Press in a phone interview.
“But it surely’s all relying on climate and the harm to the vessel. So we’re presently figuring out to see how we are able to guarantee that … the least unhealthy state of affairs goes to occur.”
Requested if it was doable the ship may sink, Versteeg stated: “It is a situation we’re taking into consideration and we’re making ready for all eventualities.”
The Fremantle Freeway was crusing from the German port of Bremen to Port Mentioned in Egypt when it caught fireplace some 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the Dutch island of Ameland.
The reason for the blaze was not instantly recognized, and it wasn’t clear how the crew member’s demise occurred.
“It’s carrying automobiles, 2,857, of which 25 are electrical automobiles, which made the hearth much more tough. It’s not straightforward to maintain that form of fireplace beneath management and even in such a vessel it’s not straightforward,” Versteeg stated.
Photos taken from shore confirmed a protracted plume of grey smoke drifting over the ocean from the stricken ship.
One towing ship managed to established a reference to the freighter to carry it in place.
“We hope that the hearth might be beneath management or will die out and that we are able to get the vessel in a secure location,” Versteeg stated. “But it surely’s all unsure what’s going to occur now.”
Authorities in Germany have been additionally on alert, German information company dpa reported.
“We’re monitoring the state of affairs,” a spokesman for the German sea catastrophe command within the northern metropolis of Cuxhaven stated including that they’d supplied assist to the Dutch authorities. He stated rescue ships and job forces have been prepared to assist if wanted, however that no determination had been made on whether or not to ship them.
___
Related Press author Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.