The fire on the Fremantle Highway (2023): 5 maritime lessons

What happened

Shortly after departing from Bremerhaven, bound for Asia, fire broke out on the Fremantle Highway, about 27 kilometres north of Ameland. There were almost 3,800 new cars on board, including hundreds of electric ones. The 23 crew members were evacuated; one of them did not survive.

The fire could not be extinguished for hours and the salvage became a major challenge on the open sea. Eventually a salvage company towed the ship to the Eemshaven, where the cargo was removed and the ship was made safe. The hull remained largely intact. The Kustwacht and Rijkswaterstaat coordinated the operation on the water.

Lesson 1: People's safety first, then the ship

The first priority in a ship fire is always the crew. A swift, coordinated evacuation with the Kustwacht and emergency services saves lives. Only after that come stabilising the ship and limiting the damage.

Make sure the alerting and the coordination between ship, Kustwacht, harbour master and emergency services have been practised in advance. On the open sea, with poor reception and changeable weather, every minute and every misunderstanding is one too many.

Lesson 2: Salvage at sea is an operation in its own right

Stabilising and towing a burning ship requires specialist capability and a tight plan.

• Bring in a salvage company in good time and determine a safe port of refuge or anchorage.
• Take account of the tide, weather and current; these determine what is and is not possible.
• Assess the risk of pollution (fuel, cargo) and take precautions.
• Coordinate continuously with the Kustwacht, Rijkswaterstaat, the harbour master and the parties involved.

Lesson 3: Protect the environment and communicate about it

A ship fire at sea brings environmental risks: bunker oil, cargo residues and firefighting agents. The surrounding area, coastal municipalities and nature organisations follow such events closely.

In the event of (imminent) pollution, alert the Kustwacht and the competent authority, have oil-spill response ready and communicate transparently about measurements and measures. It is precisely around the environment that mistrust otherwise arises quickly.

Lesson 4: New risks call for new knowledge

There were hundreds of electric cars on board. Fires involving lithium batteries behave differently and are harder to extinguish. This incident brought the debate about the risks of electric vehicles on board into sharp focus.

Keep your knowledge and operational plans up to date for new types of cargo and risk. What held true yesterday is not automatically still adequate with new technology.

Lesson 5: Know your reporting obligations (ILT, Onderzoeksraad, NIS2/CER)

A shipping accident must be reported to the Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT); failing to report is a criminal offence. Serious accidents are investigated by the Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid. In the event of (imminent) pollution, you alert the Kustwacht; the carriage of dangerous goods follows the international rules (IMDG/ADN) and the prevention of pollution falls under MARPOL.

Seaports are, moreover, essential or critical entities under the Cybersecurity Act (NIS2) and the Critical Entities Resilience Act (CER), with an obligation to report a significant disruption. During the crisis, record which reports were made, when and to whom.

How CrisisRadar helps

CrisisRadar brings the harbour master, the nautical service, the salvage company, the Kustwacht and the safety region together in a shared crisis picture. You record facts with their source, coordinate the salvage, inform shipping about closures and publish the status on your own page. Reporting-obligation timers keep track of which report is due when and to whom.

Would you like to see how a nautical emergency unfolds step by step in the platform? Then take a look at the accompanying practice scenario.

Stappenplan

Veelgestelde vragen

What happened to the Fremantle Highway?

On 25 July 2023, fire broke out on the car carrier north of Ameland, with almost 3,800 cars on board. The crew was evacuated and one person on board died. After more than a week the ship was towed to the Eemshaven, where the cargo was removed; the hull remained largely intact.

Why are fires involving electric cars on board difficult?

Fires involving lithium batteries behave differently and are harder to extinguish. This incident underlined the importance of up-to-date knowledge and operational plans for new types of cargo and risk.

Which reporting obligation applies to a shipping accident?

A shipping accident must be reported to the Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT); failing to report is a criminal offence. Serious accidents are investigated by the Onderzoeksraad. In the event of pollution, you alert the Kustwacht (MARPOL). Seaports also fall under NIS2 and the CER.