Plans to tow a burning, heavily loaded car freighter to a safe mooring away from the northern Netherlands coastline have been postponed due to bad weather.
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The vessel, the Fremantle Highway, had been expected to arrive at the island of Schiermonnikoog on Sunday, a spokesman for the water authority in The Hague confirmed.
But the manoeuvre is considered risky as the vessel with about 3800 cars on board was still burning and the wind direction and heavy smoke made the plan impossible, the water authority in The Hague said.
The risks for the relocation are too great at the moment, the authority said, noting that the wind would drive clouds of smoke directly over the tug, endangering the crew's health and safety.
The operation may have to be postponed for several days until the wind shifts, it said. "Until then, the vessel will remain in its current position."
Should the ship break apart or capsize, there is a risk of environmental pollution. The bird areas in the Wadden Sea, for example, are at risk, as are the beaches and dunes of the islands.
The Panama-flagged ship was on its way from Germany to Singapore when it caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday off the Dutch island of Ameland. One person died during the evacuation of the crew.
Experts speculated the fire started from the battery of one of the electric cars on the freighter, but this has not been confirmed.
Australian Associated Press
