K Line-operated car carrier Fremantle Highway caught fire Tuesday in the North Sea 27 kilometres north of Ameland, Netherlands. A report by FleetMon mentioned that the fire started on one of the cargo decks and later spread to other decks.

While the cause of the incident is not yet confirmed, the media speculates the fire was triggered by a lithium battery of one of the electric vehicles on board. Fremantle Highway carries more than 2850 cars, including 25 EVs.

Recent reports from the Dutch Coast Guards say the ship is still ablaze, making it hard for the guards to board the vessel. When the fire erupted, several crew members jumped into the sea to save themselves from the fire. Though all 23 crew members have disembarked, one passed away, and several are injured.

Emergency services were deployed yesterday to put off the fire, including rescue ships that were seen spraying water on the carrier. However, it is feared that the use of water could endanger the stability of the ship and cause it to capsize.

“The fire on board the Fremantle Highway cannot yet be extinguished, for example, with the tugboats' extinguishing systems. Extinguishing the fire can cause stability problems due to water in the ship. In addition, it is not yet possible to put people on board the ship,” reported the coast guards.

The ship is constantly under monitoring at the moment and is kept outside the traffic lanes to ensure easy flow of other ships in the area.