8:22 am, August 4, 2023
A handful of Rolls-Royce vehicles were among the cars to go up in flames with the freight ship the Fremantle Highway, it has been confirmed.
The vessel had been en route to Egypt from Germany when it caught fire last Wednesday (July 26), killing one crew member and injuring others.
Car Dealer reported over the weekend that there was a total of 3,783 new vehicles on board including 498 electric vehicles.
Yesterday (Aug 3), we brought you the news that the blaze was likely to end up costing more than £260m and some of the cars on board are now starting to be revealed.
Rolls-Royce says a handful of luxury cars were among those affected and it is currently contacting affected customers.
The British luxury car firm sold just over 6,000 cars last year, with lead times presently stretching into 2025.
German news outlet Automobilwoche reports that, including the Rolls-Royces, a ‘low four-digit number’ of the cars on board the ship are owned by BMW Group.
Both BMW and Mercedes confirmed that they have hundreds of cars on the vessel, but refused to be drawn on specific models.
According to reports in Europe, around 800 of the cars are still intact, meaning close to 80 per cent have been destroyed.
Vessel towed to Dutch port for salvaging
Tugboats yesterday towed the freight ship into a Dutch port for salvaging, laying to rest fears that it could sink close to shipping lanes and a protected habitat for birds.
The Fremantle Highway was taken to the northern port of Eemshaven, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management said.
A boat that has special booms to clean up oil spills accompanied the 650ft-long vessel as a precaution.
Much of the grey paint on the ship’s sides was gone, apparently scorched off by the heat inside the ship when the fire was raging.
Among those to witness the vessel’s arrival were sightseers, who gathered on a nearby bridge and seawall at the Eemshaven port
It remains unclear how long the salvage operation will take. The cause of the blaze hasn’t been established yet.
