FREMANTLE HIGHWAY
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Ship will operate as Ocean Eva after repairs
The intact hull of the burned-out "Fremantle Highway" will sail again as the car carrier "Ocean Eva" after repairs by the Chinese buyer, Shandong Taiping Shipping. After the fire on July 25, 2023, in the Dutch Wadden Sea, which raged for several days, killing one of the crew members and destroyed the cargo of 3,700 cars, the "Fremantle Highway" was unloaded in Eemshaven. It was then purchased by the Dutch company Koole Contractors and towed to the Damen shipyard in Rotterdam. Koole stripped the ship of its destroyed superstructure and sold the hull, now named "Floor," to the Hong Kong based company. In October 2024, thehull departed for Asia aboard the heavy transport vessel "Boka Vanguard". The vessel remains under the Panamanian flag.
Report: Fire was most likely caused by an electric BMW
The fire aboard the 'Fremantle Highway' on July 23, 2023 ,was most likely caused by an electric BMW, according to a recently secret investigation report by the Panama Maritime Authority (PMA), which was made public after repeated requests. The report stated that there was "very strong evidence" that the fire started in a cluster of electric BMWs on deck 8 of the ship. Four fire alarms went off there almost simultaneously. Crew member statements supported this finding. This would be the first time that an official body has identified an electric vehicle as the direct cause of the fire. The researchers draw firm conclusions about the risks of transporting electric vehicles (EVs) on existing ships. In previous fires on car carriers, such as the 'Felicity Ace' and the 'Grande America,' an electrical cause was suspected, but never proven. The 'Fremantle Highway' barely survived the fire and could therefore be investigated. According to the investigators of the PMA, much went wrong on board. The crew did not know the exact location of the 498 electric cars. They were also not trained in fighting fires in EVs, and the onboard fire extinguishing system proved unsuitable for lithium-ion batteries. The toxic smoke, high temperatures, and uncontrollable flames drove the crew to panic. In desperation, some of the people on board decided to jump from the bridge deck into the sea. The PMA warned that existing car carriers are not designed to transport EVs. The report states that loading platforms are not resistant to damage to battery components underneath the vehicles. Suitable firefighting capacity is also lacking. A burning EV requires more than 10,000 liters of water, a quantity the 'Fremantle Highway' did not have on board. Excessive firefighting water, in turn, jeopardizes the ship's stability. Maritime experts urged adjustments to ship designs and the development of specific safety protocols for EV transport. The researchers advocate for a separate IMO code for the transport of electric vehicles. This should include requirements for detection systems such as thermal cameras and adapted charging zones. Consideration should also be given to no longer placing heavier vehicles on higher decks due to the risk of instability. According to the report, the death of a 59-year-old Indian sailor could possibly have been prevented if the fire had been located more quickly and the evacuation had been better coordinated.
Entrepreneurs backfired again
After a previous lawsuit, BMW was again vindicated this week by a judge in The Hague. Their cars must be transferred to BMW so the company can have them scrapped and prevent them from ever being sold again. Two Dutch entrepreneurs, Sam Peinemann, owner of the forklift company Peinemann Mobilift Group, and Eric Bakker, of car dealer 3B Exclusief, had bought €5 million worth of brand-new BMWs carried aboard the ship, which had been stored on a section of the ship where there had been no fire or water damage.. But the car manufacturer obtained a court order ordering the destruction of the vehicles. BMW argued that the toxic gases on board posed a risk of damage to the electronics and that these unsafe vehicles should be destroyed. However, Peinemann says he will appeal, a process that could take a year. Bakker respond that the vehicles are "in top condition" and have passed all strict inspections.
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