On February 16, 2022, a fire broke out inside the Felicity Ace. This roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo ship was carrying 3,965 cars from the Volkswagen group to the US. Several battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were also inside, which made captain João Mendes Cabeças comment it was really hard to kill the fire. As the ship capsized and sank, it was never determined what caused the blaze. We are now seeing a similar event with the Fremantle Highway – and the same questions the Felicity Ace posed.
If you are not aware of the Japanese RoRo cargo ship, the Fremantle Highway left the Bremerhaven port in Germany to reach Singapore. On July 26, when it was close to the Dutch island of Ameland, a fire broke out inside the vessel. Unlike the Felicity Ace, one member of the Fremantle Highway's crew died. Nobody talked about what killed the seafarer, but there are reports of an explosion on the ship and that 7 of the 25 crew members had to jump from the boat. Considering how tall these vessels are, the sailors that jumped hit the water at speeds of around 130 kph (81 mph), which can be fatal. That is another possible cause of the crew member's death. Sal Mercogliano, from the "What is Going on With Shipping" YouTube channel, said the fall was what killed this sailor. Although he seems to be a reliable source, we have yet to confirm that.
Read Article