Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies coordinated a significant response to an engine room fire on the car carrier Thames Highway. The operation involved 63 emergency personnel, four ships, and two helicopters to secure the vessel and extinguish the fire. The ship, which departed Emden on January 26, reported the blaze shortly after leaving the harbor. The crew acted swiftly to contain the fire by sealing off the engine room and maneuvering the vessel to an anchorage outside the port’s fairway.
The Thames Highway, built in 2005 and registered in the Bahamas, has a deadweight tonnage of 7,750 and can carry approximately 1,600 vehicles. At the time of the incident, it was transporting 1,294 vehicles, including 477 electric cars, and was en route to Grimsby, Great Britain. A specialized six-person team from the Cuxhaven Fire Department was airlifted to the ship, which was anchored northwest of Borkum, to assist in combating the fire.
By Tuesday morning, authorities confirmed that the fire had been extinguished, but the vessel remained disabled and unable to navigate. Initially, firefighters from Cuxhaven and Wilhelmshaven stayed on board but were later evacuated by helicopter. As of late Tuesday, the Dutch tug Waterstraat was alongside the Thames Highway, preparing to tow it back to port, with incident control transferred to the Emden Traffic Control Center.
This incident prompted a robust response, especially in light of a previous fire aboard the car carrier Fremantle Highway in July 2023, which had drawn criticism for a disorganized emergency response. The earlier fire resulted in the tragic death of a crew member and burned for several days before being brought under control.
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