Automakers Mini, BMW and Mercedes-Benz confirmed they’ve lots of of latest vehicles among the many 3,000 at the moment burning for a 3rd day aboard the cargo ship Fremantle Freeway within the North Sea.
Delivery business skilled Sal Mercogliano tweeted Friday morning that temperatures aboard the 635-foot Fermantle Freeway have decreased sharply. With decrease temperatures and fewer smoke, salvage crews are hopeful they’ll be capable of keep aboard the Fremantle Excessive and work out what sparked the blaze that left one crew member lifeless and a number of other extra injured.
It’s at the moment unclear what began the fireplace, nevertheless some comms from first responders aboard the ship, as launched by Dutch broadcaster RTL, point out the fireplace might have been began by one of many practically 500 electrical automobiles (and never the beforehand reported 25) on board. That many EVs might pose an issue in combating the blaze as EV fires are notoriously tough to completely extinguish. Automakers with fashions on board are actually coming ahead, in line with Automotive Information Europe:
There are a number of hundred BMW and Mini vehicles on board, in addition to roughly 300 Mercedes-Benz automobiles, representatives for the automakers mentioned.
Ford Motor, Stellantis, Renault and Nissan didn’t have any automobiles on the vessel, firm spokespeople mentioned. Toyota mentioned it’s unlikely the automaker had cargo on board.
A Volkswagen spokesperson mentioned the corporate was actively investigating however was unable to supply additional info. Tesla didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Salvage employees and Dutch officers are actually hoping the Fremantle Freeway avoids the watery destiny of the Felicity Ace, a automobile service that burned for per week earlier than sinking 10,000 toes to the ocean ground off the coast of Portugal. The placement of the Freeway is much more problematic, in line with the Related Press:
The Fremantle Freeway was crusing from the German port of Bremerhaven to Singapore when it caught fireplace about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the Dutch island of Ameland.
Its location is near a sequence of Dutch and German islands common with vacationers within the shallow Wadden Sea, a World Heritage-listed space described by UNESCO as “the biggest unbroken system of intertidal sand and dirt flats on the planet” and “one of the vital essential areas for migratory birds on the planet.”
The Japanese proprietor of the Panamanian-flagged Fremantle Freeway is working with the Dutch to seek out the least dangerous finish for the ship.
