THE HAGUE: A cargo ship packed with electric cars ablaze off the Dutch coast has been towed to a new temporary position, authorities said on Monday, racing to prevent an ecological disaster.

The 66-kilometre operation to move the Fremantle Highway vessel began on Sunday and was carried out “without any problem”, the Rijkswaterstaat national water management agency said.

The cause of the fire that broke out on last Tuesday remains unclear, though the vessel’s owner has said one of the electric vehicles on board may have been the source.

One sailor died after he and 22 others were rescued from the burning ship that had forced some crew members to jump overboard. Most have since been released from hospital.

The cargo ship is now 16 kilometres north of the islands of Schiermonnikoog and Ameland, but concerns remain about the impact of pollutants on the waters and a nearby archipelago of ecologically sensitive islands in the Wadden Sea.

Its new position is better suited “for the different scenarios and weather conditions expected”, the authorities said, with Dutch broadcaster NOS adding that the ship is also now out of busy shipping lanes.

A vessel specialised in responding to oil spills is stationed nearby, and authorities are hoping to be able to inspect the cargo ship soon. It had nearly 500 electric vehicles on board when it caught fire.

In March 2022, a cargo ship carrying some 4,000 Volkswagen cars, including some electric models, caught fire and sank off the coast of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2023