The car freighter has been on fire off the Dutch coast since Wednesday. But now the fire is dying. Berger could finally go on board. Now the ship is to be towed to a safe place.
Terschelling – The Dutch emergency services have started preparations to tow away the burning car freighter off the coast. A spokesman for the water authority in The Hague announced that the “Fremantle Highway” should be relocated eastwards to the Wadden Sea island of Schiermonnikoog on Saturday. The ship with around 3800 cars on board is currently north of the island of Terschelling.
In the meantime there is concern on Schiermonnikoog. “We keep up to date and hold our breath,” Mayor Ineke van Gent tweeted on Saturday. However, the authorities had assured that the transport would be well accompanied.
The authority assured that everything would be done to prevent damage. The ship is stable and no consequences for the islands and the Wadden Sea nature reserve are expected. The freighter is said to be around 16 kilometers north of the island until a port is found.
The freighter was on its way from Bremerhaven to Singapore when fire broke out on Wednesday night. One person died during the evacuation of the crew. An environmental catastrophe is feared if the ship breaks up, capsizes or sinks. dpa
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