Fire on car carrier “Freemantle Highway” probably not caused by BEVs

https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/fremantle-highway-bergung-von-ladung-des-autofrachters-offenbar-kompliziert-a-0c44ad43-7b8e-4023-ae38-0cac497b9819

by martin_a • 3 years ago

1 1 3 years ago

spiegel.de

martin_a• 3 years ago

After the devastating fire on the car carrier off the Dutch coast, salvors have now inspected the ship. The four top decks of the "Fremantle Highway" were so badly damaged that it was almost impossible to walk on them, said the head of salvage company Boskalis, Peter Berdowski, according to media reports on Friday. As a result, he said, it would be difficult to salvage the cargo.

About 2700 of the total of about 3800 cars on board are destroyed, experts estimate, and probably cannot be salvaged. "Part of the decks is totally fused with the cars," Berdowski said in Eemshaven in the northeast of the country near the German border. Soon, the oil will be pumped out of the ship, he said. "This will significantly reduce the risk of an environmental disaster," the Boskalis chief said.

The Japanese freighter had been towed to Eemshaven just over a week ago after the fire had raged for days. The cause of the fire has still not been determined, and the investigation is ongoing. According to initial information from the Coast Guard immediately after the fire broke out, an e-car may have been the starting point of the fire. An oil spill threatened the North Sea, the islands and the natural areas of the Wadden Sea. During the evacuation of the ship, one person had died.

One thousand cars probably in good condition

The inspection now revealed that the lower four of the twelve decks are largely undamaged. About a thousand cars, including 500 electric ones, are also in good condition at first glance, Berdowski said. But it is still unclear how they can be salvaged.

Experts from the automakers, including Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes, are now expected to investigate ways to transport the vehicles. The e-cars have a charged battery, Berdowski said. "That can be very dangerous." They don't want the cars to reignite as a result of transport, "and all the misery starts all over again."

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Fire on car carrier “Freemantle Highway” probably not caused by BEVs

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