Fire ignites on cargo ship near Amsterdam

Dutch news outlet AT5 has reported that a fire broke out on a cargo ship in the Port of Amsterdam in the Netherlands on Thursday, May 15.

The Marshall Islands-flagged Trade was moored in the western portion of the port at the facilities of a local iron recycling and export company when the blaze ignited at around 17:00 local time on Thursday.

Two firefighting boats and numerous fire engines were despatched to the port to attempt to contain the blaze while a police helicopter fitted with cameras scanned the ship to identify any critical onboard areas.

A local fire official said the blaze originated in an area of the hold where scrap metal had been loaded. Some of the scrap metal was successfully offloaded using the ship's crane even as the flames continued to spread to the other compartments.

There have been no reports of injuries resulting from the incident.

The local fire brigade later issued a warning advising residents in nearby towns to keep all their doors and windows closed as thick smoke billowing from the ship had spread out over a large area along with soot particles and a strong odour.

Dutch media confirmed that the fire on the ship was still not yet fully extinguished as of 00:00 on Friday, May 16.