AMSTERDAM: The fire on the car freighter Fremantle Highway lying off the Dutch coast has subsided, according to information from the coastguard.
The temperature on board has also dropped, a coastguard spokeswoman told German news agency dpa on Friday. The freighter, loaded with about 3,800 cars, is now lying stable about 17 km north of the island of Terschelling. The ship is being held in position by a tugboat.
The Fremantle Highway caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday off the neighbouring island of Ameland. The crew was evacuated, but one person died in the process.
On Thursday, the burning ship had drifted slightly to the west to Terschelling.
According to the coastguard, firefighting operations are still difficult. A coastguard plane was to take pictures and check the temperature again on Friday morning.
Experts from the salvage company aim to draw up a plan on how the ship can be towed away.
There are fears of an environmental disaster in the specially protected Wadden Sea if the freighter sinks, capsizes, or breaks apart. As a precautionary measure, a special ship for clearing heavy oil is already moored directly next to the Fremantle Highway. –Bernama
