“It was like The Twilight Zone. It was as if you entered a whole different world,” says KNRM Ameland boarder about the fire on the car barge on the Fremantle Highway last July. It is the subject of the new podcast in the KNRM series Rescuers at Sea. The episode appeared on Spotify on Monday.
On July 26, 2023, a major fire broke out at night on the electric car freighter, the Fremantle Highway near Ameland, requiring the crew to be evacuated. Rescue boats from the KNRM and salvage crews from Rederij Noordgat quickly arrived on the scene.
Heat on board became too extreme
One by one, seven crew members jumped down because the heat on board had become too extreme. The other sixteen people on board were taken from the cargo ship by the coast guard helicopter under difficult circumstances. Medical assistance was provided and the survivors were taken to Lauwersoog. One of the people who jumped ship did not survive this incident.
In this episode you will hear from the KNRM staff from the rescue stations in Ameland and Schiermonnikoog about this rough night. Skipper Willard of KNRM Ameland explains the emergency situation the crew of the cargo ship found itself in at that moment: “He jumped down from a height of 30 meters and it was actually a leaf that fell from the tree.”
Anniversary
The Royal Dutch Rescue Society (KNRM) celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. In honor of the anniversary, a podcast has been made in which KNRM rescues are discussed. Including the surfing drama in Scheveningen and the sailing rescue operation boys above Schiermonnikoog were already central.
Roelof Hemmen presents the podcast.
Tags: skipper Willard boarder Berend experienced fire Fremantle Highway Twilight Zone
