The ship’s cargo included around 3,000 vehicles. According to a Reuters report, 350 of these cars were Mercedes-branded, and around 25 of which were electric vehicles. While the precise cause of the fire has not yet been identified by either the ship’s crew or rescue personnel, the predominant theory is that the initial spark came from one of the EVs — specifically from a chemical reaction in their batteries.
Footage shows smoke billowing from a cargo ship that caught fire off the coast of the Netherlands in the North Sea, killing at least one person and injuring several. https://t.co/5yz62ZqNXx pic.twitter.com/S4ebIuq4r3
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 26, 2023
“Electric cars burn just as much as combustion engine cars. When batteries overheat and a so-called ‘thermal runaway’ occurs, then it gets dangerous,” Uwe-Peter Schieder, representative of the German Insurance Association, explained to Reuters. “A chemical reaction in the battery produces gases which inflate the battery.”
The surviving members of the crew were rescued from the scene via helicopter airlift, and are currently undergoing treatment for injuries including broken bones, severe burns, and smoke inhalation.
“There was lot [sic] of smoke and the fire spread quickly, much faster than expected,” Royal Dutch Rescue Company member Willard Molenaar told reporters. “The people on board had to get off quickly … We fished them out of the water.”
The current state of the vehicles aboard the ship is unknown, though they have more than likely been damaged beyond repair in the blaze. This is the latest of EV-induced ship fires, with a previous incident occurring in February of 2022 off the coast of Portugal.
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