Cargo ship carrying almost 3,000 cars aflame off Dutch coast

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An enormous car-carrier ship called the Fremantle Highway has caught fire in waters off the coast of the Netherlands and could be at risk of sinking, according to various reports. There are approximately 3,000 vehicles aboard the ship, and it is suspected the conflagration may have started at or near an EV. Sadly, it has been reported there are several injuries and one death in the incident, which is still unfolding.

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Rescue personnel told local media the fire apparently spread so quickly that some crew members were forced to jump overboard to escape the smoke and flames. It may surprise some to learn that crew complement on a ship this size is pegged at 23, thanks in no small part to the massive amount of automation in these crafts. Some people are said to have been rescued from the water, whilst others were evacuated by way of a helicopter airlift.

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It is estimated that approximately 350 of the 2,857 vehicles on board are new Mercedes-Benzes, though it isn’t exactly clear what brands make up the remainder of the manifest. It is suggested at least 25 cars on the stricken vessel are electric, but not necessarily Mercedes EVs; and that the fire may be traced back to such a battery-powered vehicle. EV fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish, owing to the chemicals involved and the chance of thermal runaway.

According to public records on MarineTraffic.com, the Fremantle Highway departed Bremerhaven on Germany’s North Sea coast around 5:00 pm local time yesterday. Its planned route was taking it to Port Said, an Egyptian city at the northern end of the Suez Canal, about a week’s journey. The ship was built in 2012, is just shy of 200 metres in length, and can carry about 4,000 cars in its cargo holds.

Readers with sharp memories may recall the sinking of the Felicity Ace last year, an incident which destroyed thousands of cars from various luxury brands and actually forced Lamborghini to restart production of the final-run Aventador Ultimae in order to replace the dozen or so lost units. Almost all the vehicles on that ship were products of brands within the VW Group, including almost 200 Bentleys and about 100 Lambos. Financial wonks pegged the loss at nearly half-a-billion dollars.