It wasn’t an EV that caused the ‘Fremantle Highway’ to catch fire
After the fire on the car cargo ship off the Dutch coast, the media hastily identified an electric car as the cause. Now it turns out – that this is not true.
Even though the cause of the fire is still unknown, the EV theory no longer holds up after the freighter was inspected. The lower four of the twelve decks are essentially undamaged, and about 1,000 cars, including the 498 electric ones, are in good condition. This is according to the chief of salvage company Royal Boskalis Westminster NV, Peter Berdowski.
According to the head of the salvage company, the four uppermost decks, on which there were no electric cars, are so damaged that it is hard to walk on them and that the vehicles there (again, no EVs!) are literally fused to the ground. The affected carmakers are now investigating how their vehicles can be moved.
The ‘Fremantle Highway’ is currently docked in Eemshaven in the Netherlands. Soon, the heavy fuel oil will be pumped out of the ship to prevent leakage and environmental pollution. The ‘Fremantle Highway’ can remain in the port until 14 October. Then it will have to be towed to another location – whether for repair or scrapping is not yet known.
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