Automakers Mini, BMW and Mercedes-Benz confirmed they’ve a whole lot of recent automobiles among the many 3,000 at present burning for a 3rd day aboard the cargo ship Fremantle Freeway within the North Sea.

Transport business knowledgeable Sal Mercogliano tweeted Friday morning that temperatures aboard the 635-foot Fermantle Freeway have decreased sharply. With decrease temperatures and fewer smoke, salvage crews are hopeful they’ll be capable of keep aboard the Fremantle Excessive and determine what sparked the blaze that left one crew member useless and a number of other extra injured.

It’s at present unclear what began the hearth, nevertheless some comms from first responders aboard the ship, as launched by Dutch broadcaster RTL, point out the hearth may have been began by one of many practically 500 electrical automobiles (and never the beforehand reported 25) on board. That many EVs may pose an issue in preventing the blaze as EV fires are notoriously troublesome to completely extinguish. Automakers with fashions on board at the moment are coming ahead, in response to Automotive Information Europe:

There are a number of hundred BMW and Mini automobiles on board, in addition to roughly 300 Mercedes-Benz automobiles, representatives for the automakers stated.

Ford Motor, Stellantis, Renault and Nissan didn’t have any automobiles on the vessel, firm spokespeople stated. Toyota stated it’s unlikely the automaker had cargo on board.

A Volkswagen spokesperson stated the corporate was actively investigating however was unable to supply additional info. Tesla didn’t reply to a request for remark.

Salvage employees and Dutch officers are actually hoping the Fremantle Freeway avoids the watery destiny of the Felicity Ace, a automotive service that burned for every week earlier than sinking 10,000 toes to the ocean ground off the coast of Portugal. The placement of the Freeway is much more problematic, in response to the Related Press:

The Fremantle Freeway was crusing from the German port of Bremerhaven to Singapore when it caught fireplace about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the Dutch island of Ameland.

Its location is near a series of Dutch and German islands fashionable with vacationers within the shallow Wadden Sea, a World Heritage-listed space described by UNESCO as “the most important unbroken system of intertidal sand and dirt flats on this planet” and “some of the essential areas for migratory birds on this planet.”

The Japanese proprietor of the Panamanian-flagged Fremantle Freeway is working with the Dutch to seek out the least unhealthy finish for the ship.