Ship fire
Major operation on the Baltic Sea due to fire on tanker

A large contingent of emergency services was deployed on the burning tanker “Annika”. photo
© -/The sea rescuers – DGzRS/dpa
A large contingent of emergency services probably prevented anything worse from happening. Several ships rush to help the burning tanker “Annika”. The cause of the accident is still unclear.
A fire on a tanker on the Baltic Sea off Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has triggered a major operation. According to the accident command, the cargo of the 73 meter long “Annika” consists of around 640 tons of oil. The 12 meter wide According to the information, the ship was on its way from Rostock to Travemünde and is anchored about 4.5 kilometers off Heiligendamm. According to the Schwerin Ministry of the Environment, no water contamination has occurred so far. There is a connection to a smuggler. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) expressed concern.
Unexplained cause of fire
The fire broke out in the morning for an unknown reason in the stern area of the ship, which, among other things, can supply large ships with fuel. The German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People brought the seven crew members to safety and to shore. There were initially different reports about the health of the crew. The Environment Ministry said those rescued appeared to be uninjured. According to the incident command, several people were slightly injured.
The emergency services began fighting the fire from the outside from three ships. Firefighting teams made their way to the tanker in helicopters. In the early afternoon they went on board the “Annika” to explore. The next steps should then be discussed. According to the police, an exclusion zone of three nautical miles was set up around the scene.
Black smoke
Photos show how large amounts of water are sprayed onto the tanker by the emergency ships. Black smoke comes out of the ship’s stern area with its engine room and bridge. According to sea rescue workers, the smoke from the burning ship is visible all the way to the coast. Further details and the cause of the fire are not yet known.
Environment Minister Backhaus spoke of a very dynamic situation. He is following events with concern. “I’m glad the crew could be evacuated quickly.” In coordination with the emergency command, which has taken over overall operational management, a picture of the situation is currently being obtained. “We will do everything we can to prevent greater damage to the environment.”
Within sight of the coast
The accident occurred within sight of the heavily touristy coast between Warnemünde and Kühlungsborn. Martin Delpiano-Weber, who is staying at the hotel in Heiligendamm with his wife, said they saw the ship in the morning when they came out of the spa area around 9:30 a.m. He reported a kind of fire roller or flash of flame. “Parallel has already been deleted.”
The head of the state tourism association, Tobias Woitendorf, reacted with shock. “This is a situation that we are always afraid of in tourism,” he said. “We have very busy waters here.” The fire on the coastal tanker is a major disaster, the consequences of which have not yet been fully assessed.
Praise from WWF for quick action
The environmental organization WWF praised the rapid response of the rescue workers and firefighting teams. The North Emergency Command has proven itself, said the head of the WWF Baltic Sea office in Stralsund, Finn Viehberg. “This is the demand that we keep making: a dense emergency command network across the entire Baltic Sea,” said Viehberg. This is not the case everywhere where dangerous goods ships are traveling, he emphasized.
Scientists concerned about environment
The director of the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Oliver Zielinski, is very concerned about the fire. “This is a ship loaded with 640 tons of heavy oil a few kilometers off the coast and we have strong westerly winds,” said the professor. “So, in the worst case scenario, this would be pushed into a very sensitive shallow marine ecosystem.” Zielinski emphasized: “640 tons – that is a large amount of heavy oil and can cause massive damage to the environment.” He really hopes that doesn’t happen. “The countermeasures are well underway.”
Baltic Sea one of the busiest seas
The Baltic Sea is considered one of the busiest seas in the world. According to Viehberg, around 2,000 large ships travel there every day. These include tankers with up to 100,000 tons of cargo on board. The accident off Heiligendamm was a “shot across the bow,” said the scientist.