Fire erupts on cargo ship in Huissen, Netherlands

A fire broke out on a cargo ship as it was sailing through the Lower Rhine river in Huissen, the Netherlands, on Wednesday, June 5.

The incident occurred at around 19:40 local time when a barrel containing cleaning rags caught fire on board the 70-metre-long Leendert N, which had sailed out of Rotterdam.

Responding firefighters managed to get on board to contain the blaze as the crew brought the barrel outside and assisted in venting out the ensuing smoke.

The fire was extinguished in minutes. No injuries have been reported.

It is not yet clear what other contents were in the barrel that had caused it to ignite.

Leendert N sustained only minor damage in the fire and arrived in Tolkamer at 10:30 on Thursday, June 6. It has since been berthed there.