Car transport ship's Japanese owner to investigate Dutch fire (updated)
04/08/2023 13:39
(Adds details of Shoei, Kawasaki statements, background in
paragraphs 2, 4-8)
TOKYO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Japanese ship leasing company
Shoei Kisen Kaisha, owner of the car carrier Fremantle Highway
that caught fire off the Dutch coast last week, said on Friday
it will investigate the cause of the incident in cooperation
with relevant parties.
The blaze broke out on July 26 as the Panama-registered ship
was travelling from Germany to Egypt with nearly 3,000 vehicles
on board, killing one crew member and injuring seven others who
jumped overboard to escape the flames.
Local officials said the carrier arrived at the northern
Dutch port of Eemshaven for salvage on Thursday.
An investigation has been launched by the Panama Maritime
Authority, and the Netherlands was expected to assist the
inquiry, a Dutch Safety Board spokesman said.
Shoei said in a statement that all 22 people who were
hospitalised due to the incident, including the captain, had
been discharged from the hospital by Thursday.
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha 9107.T , or "K" Line, the Japanese
shipping company that had chartered the Fremantle Highway, also
said on Friday that the vessel's owner would investigate the
extent of damage and cause of the accident in cooperation with
the authorities.
"K" Line previously said there were 3,783 vehicles on board
the ship, including 498 battery electric vehicles.
An emergency responder was heard in a recording released by
Dutch broadcaster RTL as saying "the fire started in the battery
of an electric car." Authorities have not confirmed whether that
is the case, however.
(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; editing by John Stonestreet and
Hugh Lawson)
((Kantaro.Komiya@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: @kantarokomiya;))