Damaged car freighter
“Fremantle Highway” now in Rotterdam two months after the fire
The car freighter “Fremantle Highway”, which was badly damaged in a fire, arrived in Rotterdam after a two-day journey from Eemshaven in Groningen. photo
© Marco Hoope/ANP/dpa
In July, the car freighter “Fremantle Highway” was badly damaged in a fire. The huge ship has now arrived in Rotterdam, where it will first be inspected and then repaired.
Two months after a devastating fire broke out on the Fremantle Highway, the heavily damaged Car freighter arrived in the port of Rotterdam. If possible, the freighter, which looks like a ghost ship, will be made ready to sail again at a dock owned by the shipbuilder Damen Shiprepair. The work is expected to last four to five months, a spokesman for maritime services company Koole Constructors said. What could happen to the ship afterwards is still unclear.
A fire broke out in the ship on the night of July 26th not far from the North Sea island of Ameland, which caused severe damage to the freighter and its cargo. One person died during the evacuation of the freighter and the other 22 crew members were injured. The ship belonging to a Japanese shipping company was towed to Eemshaven at the beginning of August.
First, the largely burned-out freighter, which had around 3,800 cars on board when the fire broke out, will be subjected to a thorough inspection. Experts also hope that this will provide clues to the cause of the fire, which is still unclear. The coast guard initially suspected that an electric car could have been the source of the fire. This has not yet been confirmed.