Update on investigation into fire assistance on cargo ship

This interim statement provides an update on the investigation by the Dutch Safety Board into the emergency assistance during the fire on the Fremantle Highway and the ongoing international investigation led by Panama into the fire and the resulting injuries.

During the night of 25 to 26 July 2023, a fire broke out on board a cargo ship under the flag of Panama, the Fremantle Highway. The ship was sailing north of Ameland (an island north of the Netherlands) during the fire. As a result of the fire, one crew member died and several people were injured.

• The Dutch Safety Board is investigating the course of emergency assistance during the fire. How did the assistance start immediately after the fire and how did that assistance develop further? The investigation is still ongoing and is in the analysis phase. It is currently unknown when the final report of the investigation will be published.

• The Panama Maritime Investigation Agency (PMA) is leading the investigation into the fire and the resulting (fatal) injuries to the people aboard the ship. They are responsible for this because the cargo ship was sailing under the flag of Panama. The fire broke out off the Dutch coast. This makes the Netherlands a ‘substantially interested state’ in this investigation. This means that the Dutch Safety Board is actively contributing to the investigation from the Netherlands and will cooperate with the Panamanian authorities if requested. The Dutch Safety Board has no insight into the publication date of the results of this investigation.