Salvage tugs will tow the charred hull of the 6,210-ceu car carrier Fremantle Highway (built 2013) from its current anchorage to the Dutch port of Eemshaven.
The car carrier, operated by Japan’s K Line and owned by Shoei Kisen Kaisha, caught fire with 3,000 cars on board last week, leading to an emergency evacuation of the crew and the death of one seafarer.
The decision on the port of refuge was taken by the Netherlands Ministry of Harbours, Infrastructure and Water Management after it said the indications are that there is no longer a fire on the ship.
It said the Eemshaven port is most suitable because it is only 64km away and one of the closest to the wreck.
The Fremantle Highway is currently located at an anchorage 16km from Schiermonnikook and Ameland.
“The existing infrastructure and the facilities at that port offers the best next step for the salvage of the ship,” the ministry said. “By keeping the journey as short as possible, the risks are limited.”
The weather in the North Sea is also expected to worsen in the coming days.
The ship is scheduled to depart on the morning of 3 August.
The situation on the ship was described as stable. A salvage crew will be onboard to monitor the condition of the vessel for the trip to Eemshaven.
Salvage experts will be wary that the 6,400-ceu car carrier Felicity Ace (built 2005) broke up and sank while under tow following a similar fire in the Azores in 2022.
Germany’s Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Nabu) warned that the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site has been put at risk by the casualty.
“If the ship, which has almost 3,800 cars, including 500 electric cars and around 1.6 million litres of heavy fuel oil and 200 tonnes of marine diesel, sinks, the North Sea and the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site are threatened with long-term environmental damage,” Nabu said.
