Ocean Shippers Playing Catch Up to Electric Vehicle Fire Risk
Electric vehicles are crisscrossing the globe to reach their eager buyers, but the battery technology involved in the zero- emission automobiles is exposing under-prepared maritime shippers to the risk of hard-to-control fires, industry, insurance, and emergency response officials said.That risk has been put under the spotlight by the burning car carrier [Freemantle Highway] drifting off the Dutch coast. The Dutch coastguard said the fire's cause was unknown, but Dutch broadcaster…
Car Carrier Still Burning off Dutch Coast as Hunt for Cause Begins
A burning car carrier was drifting off the Dutch coast on Thursday, the coastguard said, a day after the Panamanian-registered ship caught alight, causing the death of an Indian crew member and injuring several others.The 199-metre (653 ft) Fremantle Highway caught fire overnight Tuesday and several of the 23 crew jumped overboard to escape the flames and were rescued by the Dutch coastguard.The coastguard said on its website Thursday the cause of the fire was unknown, but an emergency responder is heard in a recording released by Dutch broadcaster RTL saying "the fire started in the battery o
Ship Carrying 3,000 Cars Burns off Dutch Coast, One Dead
A fire blazed on a cargo ship off the Dutch coast with nearly 3,000 vehicles on board on Wednesday, killing one member of the crew and injuring several others, the coastguard said.Several crew members were forced to jump overboard after the fire began on Tuesday night on the 199-metre (655-foot) Panama-registered Fremantle Highway as it was en route from Germany to Egypt.The Indian Embassy in the Netherlands said in a social media post the fire had "resulted in the death of an Indian seafarer and injuries to the crew", and that it was in touch with family of the deceased.
Dutch Coast Guard Gets Two Bristow Helicopters for SAR Operations
Helicopter services firm Bristow Group said Friday it was embarking on a new 10-year relationship with the Dutch Coastguard, delivering helicopter SAR operations for people and communities across the country through its affiliate, Bristow Netherlands B.V."At 1 p.m. Central European Time on November 4, 2022, two new custom-designed SAR bases officially went on-line at Den Helder and Midden Zeeland Airports, where specialist Bristow teams with SAR-configured helicopters now stand ready to respond to emergency events and critical government taskings in all weather…
Containership Drops 26 Boxes in Storm Eunice
The Dutch coastguard said on Saturday it was trying to locate 26 empty shipping containers lost on the North Sea during Storm Eunice on Friday.Panama-registered container ship Marcos V lost the 40-foot (12-meter) containers around the Dutch Wadden islands while en route to Germany in heavy winds, the coastguard said on its website.So far, none of the containers have been found.The coastguard is using helicopters and a emergency towing vessel in the search, while ships in the area have also been notified to keep a look out, it said.(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg Editing by Mark Potter)
18 Crew Members Rescued after Ships Collide off Dutch Coast in Storm
The Dutch coastguard rescued 18 crew members from a ship that collided with another vessel in the North Sea on Monday during a storm off the coast of the Netherlands.The vessel, the Maltese registered Julietta D. cargo ship, bound for Amsterdam from Germany, collided with an oil and chemicals tanker, the coastguard said in a statement.After an hour-long rescue operation with helicopters, the coastguard reported that all 18 crew members were taken off the vessel.The Julietta D. is rudderless and taking in water. The situation on the oil tanker is stable, it added.Rescue efforts were made more challenging by storm Corrie, which is causing wind gusts of up to 120 kph (75 mph) in the North Sea.(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Edmund Blair and Alison Williams)
Dutch Authorities Demand Clean-Up Costs From MSC Line
Dutch authorities will hold Swiss shipping line MSC liable for the cost of cleaning up debris from more than 270 cargo containers that fell off one of its vessels and washed up on shore, officials said on Friday.The Dutch coastguard said a criminal investigation had been launched by prosecutors into the incident, one of the largest of its kind off the coast of the Netherlands.The containers, some holding hazardous chemicals, fell off one of the world's largest container ships…
Three Crewmen Rescued from Vessel Blaze
Three crewmen have been rescued off Lowestoft this afternoon after their vessel caught fire in the North Sea. Humber Coastguard coordinated the rescue operation after the crew abandoned the ECC Topaz 10 nautical miles east of the town. The vessel had been heading out to service a windfarm when the blaze struck just before 1 p.m. The crew, who were wearing lifejackets, managed to get into a liferaft while they waited to be rescued by the Search and Rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham.
Windfarm Service Ship Burns, Sinks; Three Crewman Saved
Three crewmen have been rescued off Lowestoft this afternoon after their vessel caught fire in the North Sea, the Humber Coastguard reported. Humber Coastguard coordinated the rescue operation after the crew abandoned the ECC Topaz 10 nautical miles east of the town. The vessel had been heading out to service a windfarm when the blaze struck just before 1 pm. The crew, who were wearing lifejackets, managed to get into a liferaft while they waited to be rescued by the Search and Rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham. The crew were winched to safety and airlifted to James Paget University Hospital at Great Yarmouth as a precaution. They aren’t believed to have suffered any serious injuries.
