A car carrier caught fire in its engine room shortly after departing Emden. The crew contained the blaze, and responders fully extinguished it without injuries or environmental damage. The vessel was safely towed back to Emden harbor.
The car carrier MS Thames Highway, a 149-meter-long and 25-meter-wide vessel, departed Emden on Monday evening bound for Grimsby in the UK with nearly 1,300 vehicles—including around 480 electric cars. Shortly after leaving, the crew spotted flames in the engine room and sealed it airtight to stop the fire from spreading. The ship anchored outside the Ems estuary shipping lane, northwest of the North Sea island of Borkum, amid waves up to two meters high.
Help arrived around midnight: A helicopter ferried the first responders aboard, who extinguished the flames. Specialized firefighting teams from Cuxhaven and Wilhelmshaven checked for embers until late morning and found no further fire or smoke development. The maritime rescue coordination center issued an all-clear: “There are 18 crew members on board, no injuries, and no pollutant discharge.” Overall, more than 60 personnel, four ships, and two helicopters were involved.
A private salvage company towed the disabled freighter back to Emden harbor, where it is expected to remain for several days. Experts are now assessing the damage and safety concerns before it can depart again. The water protection police are investigating the cause of the fire. “The cargo was not affected in any way,” a police spokesperson said. The extent of damage to the ship remains unclear.
The incident echoes the 2023 fire on the car carrier Fremantle Highway nearby off the Dutch Wadden Sea coast. That ship burned for days with 1.6 million liters of heavy fuel oil aboard, raising fears of an oil spill. It was towed first to Eemshaven and later to Rotterdam; one crew member died, 22 were injured, and severe damage occurred to the vessel and cargo.
