Explosion and Fire on Feeder Vessel in the North Sea

Dutch responders successfully extinguished a vessel fire caused by an explosion on a boxship off Hoek van Holland. The incident involved the container feeder ship Victoria L, which was en route to Rotterdam on a ballast voyage. The crew managed to contain the fire, and there were no reported injuries. However, the fire reignited later, prompting a response from a fire crew from shore, a helicopter, and multiple boats, including the tug Multraship Protector and two lifeboats from the KNRM rescue service.

By Wednesday evening, the fire was completely extinguished, and the first responders left the vessel. The Victoria L is expected to continue its journey to Rotterdam under its own power. This incident marks the second major casualty involving a feeder ship in European coastwise trade in recent months, following a collision between the boxship Solong and the tanker Stena Immaculate off the UK in March. The scene at the site showed the boxship listing heavily at the stern and pumping water overboard, as captured in video footage released on social media.

The Dutch coast guard received the alert of the blast at around 1300 hours local time, and the crew’s efforts to combat the fire were initially successful before it reignited. Additional support was provided by a helicopter and multiple response boats, showing a coordinated effort to tackle the emergency situation. The successful extinguishing of the fire highlights the effective response and collaboration between various agencies in handling maritime incidents.

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