Cargo ship operator K-Line announced, Friday, that a car-cargo ship has been on fire off the coast of the Netherlands since Tuesday evening, carrying nearly 500 electric cars in its cargo, far more than the previously announced number of 25.
The fire aboard the Fremantle Highway, registered in Panama and transporting new cars, killed an Indian crew member and injured seven others who jumped off board to escape the flames, reports Al-Rai daily quoting Reuters.
According to a spokesman for the Tokyo-based ship operator, the ship’s shipment consisted of 3,783 vehicles, including 498 electric vehicles.
The Dutch coast guard said on Thursday that the cause of the fire was not yet clear. But an audio recording released by RTL indicates that a member of the emergency team said, “The fire broke out in an electric car battery.”
The Dutch Safety Board stated that the Panama Maritime Authority had opened an investigation and that the Netherlands was assisting them in the investigations.
The coast guard stated that the ship, which is 199 meters long, is still on fire and is about 17 km from the far north of the coast of the Netherlands.