Fire breaks out on cargo ship carrying 3000 cars off Dutch Coast.

A fire blazed on a cargo ship off the Dutch coast with nearly 3,000 vehicles on board on Wednesday, killing one member of the crew and injuring several others, the coastguard said.

Several crew members were forced to jump overboard after the fire began on Tuesday night on the 199-metre (655-foot) Panama-registered Fremantle Highway as it was en route from Germany to Egypt.

The Indian Embassy in the Netherlands said in a social media post the fire had "resulted in the death of an Indian seafarer and injuries to the crew", and that it was in touch with family of the deceased. Japan's Shoei Kisen, which owns the ship, said the entire crew of 21 was Indian.

Rescue ships sprayed water onto the burning vessel to cool it down, but using too much water risked its sinking, the Dutch coastguard said. It was attached to a salvage vessel to prevent it drifting.

The fire might last for several days, Dutch news agency ANP reported, citing the coastguard. Smoke continued to billow from the vessel near the northern Dutch island of Ameland.

Source: www.reuters.com

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