German authorities have brought an engine-room fire under control on the car carrier Thames Highway off the German coast, but the vessel remains without propulsion. Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies coordinated a night-long operation involving 63 responders, four vessels and two helicopters to secure the ship and extinguish the blaze.

By Tuesday morning, officials said the blaze in the engine room was out, but Thames Highway could no longer move under its own power. Firefighting teams from Cuxhaven and Wilhelmshaven initially remained on board to monitor conditions before being taken off again by helicopter. Later the same day, the tug Waterstraat from the Netherlands took position alongside to begin towing the vessel toward port, and overall coordination of the incident passed to the Emden Traffic Control Center once the firefighting phase had ended.

The ship left Emden on 26 January, a Monday, on a voyage to Grimsby in Great Britain. A short time after departure, the crew reported an engine-room fire. They then rapidly closed the engine-room compartment, and the vessel was sent to a waiting anchorage beyond the port fairway northwest of Borkum.

Thames Highway was built in 2005 and has a deadweight of 7,750 dwt, with capacity for roughly 1,600 cars. The ship trades for K Line European Sea Highway Services (KESS), which operates short-sea services, and carries Bahamian registration. At the time of the incident, German authorities said the cargo consisted of 1,294 vehicles, including 477 electric cars, and there were 18 crewmembers on board plus the pilot.

Initial firefighting on board was carried out by a six-person specialist unit from the Cuxhaven Fire Department, trained for shipboard incidents. They were transported by helicopter to the anchored car carrier northwest of Borkum and lowered onto the deck by winch. Firefighters from Emden and Wilhelmshaven were sent to the ship to reinforce the onboard teams.

In setting up this large operation, the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies also recalled the July 2023 Fremantle Highway car carrier fire in broadly the same area. In that incident, the Dutch Coastguard and other agencies were later criticised over an uncoordinated response after a crewmember, who had to leap from the burning ship, died. The blaze there ran out of control and continued for several days before it was put out, and the vessel was ultimately towed into port for salvage.