A car-carrying ship that burned for every week on the North Sea will probably be towed to a Dutch port

EEMSHAVEN – Tugboats towed a freight ship that burned for every week whereas carrying hundreds of automobiles on the North Sea towards a Dutch port Thursday for salvaging, the federal government of the Netherlands stated.

The Fremantle Freeway was headed to the northern port of Eemshaven, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Administration stated. A ship that has particular booms to wash up oil spills accompanied the almost 200-meter-long (round 650-foot-long) vessel as a precaution.

The ship with 3,784 new autos, together with 498 electrical ones, on board caught fireplace on July 25 whereas touring from the German port metropolis of Bremerhaven to Singapore.

Curious sightseers gathered on a bridge and a seawall on the Eemshaven port as the grey freighter was getting towed. It was not clear how lengthy salvage work would take.

Port authority Groningen Seaports stated it will work with native organizations “to limit the damage to people and the environment as much as possible.”

The hearth on the Fremantle Freeway burned uncontrolled for every week because it floated close to busy North Sea delivery lanes and the shallow Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed migratory chicken habitat. Dutch authorities didn’t try to spray water onto the ship for worry of constructing it unstable.

The ministry stated that Eemshaven, situated 215 kilometers (134 miles) northeast of Amsterdam, was chosen as a result of it was near the Fremantle Freeway’s location within the North Sea and due to deteriorating climate circumstances, the present infrastructure and the amenities the port affords for the salvage of the ship.

The hearth on the ship additionally put nerves on edge in Germany, which shares the Wadden Sea with the Netherlands.

The surroundings minister of Germany’s Decrease Saxony state, Christian Meyer, thanked Dutch authorities for making a fast resolution on what do with the Fremantle Freeway.

“With the decision, the nail-biting and the worry that the cargo ship could break apart and still lead to an environmental disaster in our inestimably valuable Wadden Sea hopefully will end,” Meyer stated in a press release.

He stated his area had a number of ships on standby to battle potential oil leaks or assist with towing through the switch.

Meyer appealed to Germany’s federal authorities to set a route farther from the coast for ships transporting hazardous supplies, together with giant automobile transporters.

The Dutch ministry stated salvage specialists have inspected a lot of the ship and “there are no indications that the fire is still burning.”

One crew member died and others had been injured when the hearth erupted. The crew of 21, all Indian nationals, and two different individuals on board, had been evacuated within the early hours of July 26. The reason for the blaze has not been established.

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Mike Corder in The Hague and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.