Dutch authorities started preparing on Saturday to tow away a vehicle-packed cargo ship which has been burning for days off the country’s coast.
The operation of moving the Fremantle Highway from the Dutch coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site for the aquatic and terrestrial species it hosts, and closer to the north of Schiermonnikoog island temporarily aims to avert an ecological disaster.
What do we know about the towing operation?
The decision to proceed with moving the ship comes after the flames eating at it have significantly subsided.
“The temperature on board the ship has dropped sharply and the intensity of the fire and smoke development have decreased,” said the Rijkswaterstaat, the national water management agency, in a statement.
The agency added that the cargo ship was also stable, “still intact below the waterline and does not tilt.”
Fears for an ecological disaster
Efforts to put down the fire for the past few days were carefully calculated, in fear of sinking the ship and consequently prompting an ecological disaster. The ship was carrying 3,783 cars, including 498 electric cars, its Japan-based charter company K Line said.
Authorities feared the car parts, batteries and fuel would damage the ecologically sensitive site and harm its inhabitants.
Ship owner Shoei Kisen Kaisha suggested the fire started on one of the electric vehicles, whose batteries are highly combustible. The actual cause of the fire has yet to be confirmed.
The towing operation is expected to take around 12 hours.
No exact time has been decided, as it will depend on the weather conditions, but Dutch authorities said they were aiming for the towing to be conducted during the weekend.
The fire killed one member of the all-Indian crew of the ship.
rmt/jcg(AFP, dpa)
