A tragic incident occurred on Wednesday in the waters near the Dutch island of Ameland in the North Sea when a freighter carrying almost 3,000 cars caught fire. Reports from various sources such as the Associated Press, Reuters, and Bloomberg indicate that one crew member lost their life, and several others sustained injuries. Fortunately, some crew members managed to jump into the sea from the deck and were subsequently rescued by lifeboats.
The ill-fated freighter was en route from Bremerhaven, Germany, to Port Said, Egypt, with its final destination being Singapore, as stated by its owner, Japan’s Masei Kisen Co., Ltd. Dutch Coast Guard spokesman Vestig revealed that out of the 2,857 vehicles on board, 25 were electric cars, making it more challenging to control the fire. The presence of approximately 300 Mercedes-Benz cars on the freighter was also reported.
Despite efforts to combat the blaze, the fire was still persistent on Thursday morning, according to the Dutch coastguard. However, the situation was described as stable. The Dutch infrastructure and water management department asserted that towing and salvage operations could only be carried out once the fire is completely extinguished.
Several automobile manufacturers commented on the incident. Spokespeople from Ford, Stellantis, Renault, and Nissan confirmed that none of their vehicles were on board the ill-fated freighter. A representative from Toyota also deemed it unlikely that their cars were involved. Volkswagen, actively investigating the matter, was unable to provide further information at the time of reporting. Tesla, on the other hand, did not respond to requests for comment. BMW confirmed that their vehicles were present on the ship but refrained from disclosing the exact number.
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Source: Jiemian News
Article source: Interface News
Original title: A freighter carrying nearly 3,000 cars caught fire in the northern waters of the Netherlands, BMW, Volkswagen, and other car companies responded.