NEW DELHI: An Indian crew member was killed and 20 others have been injured when a hearth broke out on a cargo ship carrying almost 3,000 vehicles off the coast of the Netherlands. The hearth began on Tuesday evening on the Fremantle Highway, a Panama-registered ship that was en route from Germany to Egypt. Several crew members have been pressured to leap overboard, and Dutch coastguards warned that the fireplace might final for a number of days.

The Indian Embassy within the Netherlands stated that one of many crew members who died was an Indian nationwide. The embassy is in contact with the household of the deceased and is helping within the repatriation of the mortal stays. The embassy can also be in contact with the remaining 20 injured crew members, who’re secure and receiving medical consideration.
Rescue boats and helicopters have been used to get the 23 crew members off the ship after some had jumped within the water.

The authorities at the moment are focusing their efforts on stopping the itemizing ship from sinking. A tugboat has been in a position to connect a rope to the Fremantle Highway and forestall it from drifting into delivery lanes. Other boats are on standby to attempt to assist pull the vessel to security.
The Panama-flagged cargo ship Fremantle Highway was en path to Port Said, Egypt, after a current cease within the German port of Bremerhaven. The vessel was crusing 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of Ameland, one of many northern Wadden islands, when the fireplace broke out.
The ship was carrying 2,857 vehicles, together with 25 electrical automobiles. One of the EVs might have caught hearth, and the blaze might final for days.
The ship’s proprietor, Shoei Kishen Kaisa Ltd, stated it was cooperating with native authorities and expressed condolences for the crew member whose life was misplaced. The last vacation spot for the automobiles is Singapore.
The incident was harking back to a maritime catastrophe final yr, when a cargo ship that caught hearth within the Atlantic transporting roughly 4,000 Volkswagen automobiles to the US sank in tough seas regardless of efforts to tow it to security after burning for greater than per week.
The 10-year-old ship, measuring about 200 meters (656 ft) in size, can carry as many as 4,000 vehicles.
(With inputs from businesses)