Flaming Cargo Ship Contains Many More EVs Than First Reported

An enormous vehicle carrier that caught fire at sea earlier this week appears to have far more electric vehicles on board than first suggested.

This ship, christened the Fremantle Highway, was first reported aflame off the Dutch coast a couple of days ago. Initial information hinted there were at least 25 EVs on its manifest and that the conflagration likely began at or near one of those cars. Now, reports are surfacing that there could be nearly five hundred electric cars in the ship’s hold, a realization that adds a lot more gravitas to a situation that has already claimed the life of one person and injured scores of others.

A spokesperson for the vessel’s charter told Automotive News their records show 3,783 vehicles in total aboard the ship, about a thousand more than first reported, including 498 battery-electric vehicles. Specific brands were not mentioned but information already in the public sphere tells us at least 10 percent of the total are Mercedes-Benz units, though it is unclear how many – if any – of the EVs are Mercs. BMW has also told some outlets they have vehicles aboard the Fremantle Highway.

Astute readers know fires involving lithium-ion batteries are notoriously difficult to extinguish, often burning with ferocious intensity exceeding that of a blaze fuelled by traditional materials. It is worth noting local authorities have yet to pin down the fire’s exact cause, so it would be irresponsible to say with certainty that a faulty EV is on the hook for this disaster. What can be said with certainty is that any fire, regardless of its source, in a confined space containing hundreds of electric cars has the potential to be one hell of an inferno.

Information on MarineTraffic.com says the Fremantle Highway departed a port in Germany’s North Sea around 5:00 pm local time on Tuesday. Records show it was planning a sail to Port Said in Egypt, near the Suez Canal, a journey of about a week’s steam. The ship was built about 12 years ago and is a big’un, over 650 feet long.

[Image: Andrey Sharpilo/Shutterstock.com]

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