BELGIUM – Fire Erupts Aboard Cargo Vessel Docked in Antwerp

A fire broke out on Wednesday, July 16, aboard the FWN Adriatic, a Dutch-flagged general cargo ship docked at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium.

Thick smoke from the blaze led the municipal government of Merksem, located near the port, to urge residents to keep windows and doors shut to minimize discomfort. The Port of Antwerp Bruges also advised passing ships to navigate carefully through the affected area and to switch off their ventilation systems temporarily.

The fire started shortly after 10:00 AM local time while the vessel was loaded with vehicles and plasterboard. A fireboat arrived as the ship filled with smoke, and firefighters managed to bring the situation under control by sealing hatches and flooding the cargo holds with CO₂, which helped reduce the smoke escaping into the atmosphere.

The FWN Adriatic had only recently joined the fleet of ForestWave, a subsidiary of Dutch shipping company Spliethoff Group, having been delivered less than two months ago.

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