A burnt-out freighter carrying thousands of cars was towed into a Dutch port yesterday, as an environmental disaster was averted more than a week after the ship caught fire off the coast.
Tugboats brought the Fremantle Highway to the northern port of Eemshaven, where dozens of spectators lined a sea wall to watch the scorched, blackened hulk move slowly into the harbour.
One sailor died jumping from the ship and 22 others were rescued after the vessel caught fire on July 25 while carrying 3,700 vehicles, including nearly 500 electric cars and many luxury autos.
“I can confirm the ship has arrived in Eemshaven,” Jente Wieldraaijer, a spokesperson for the regional safety authority, told AFP.
Dutch Infrastructure Minister Mark Harbers said the fire appeared to be out, adding that there was “no question of any outflow of liquids or other matter”.
The tug journey from a holding position some 64km (40 miles) away “went without any problems”, added the Dutch infrastructure and water management agency.
The ship is expected to remain at the port until October while salvage operations are carried out on the boat and to remove the cars, harbour master Pieter van der Wal said.
“I am very happy that it all worked out,” he said.
Port workers later stacked a wall of yellow shipping containers around the moored ship, hiding it from view, an AFP journalist said.
The Panamanian-flagged freighter, which was travelling from Germany to Egypt, is owned by Japanese firm Shoei Kisen Kaisha and was being chartered by Japan-based K Line.