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Fire finally out, deck ventilated

The fire aboard the 'Delphine' has been finally extinguished. Although the fire was brought under control fairly quickly on the day itself, there was still a risk of re-emergence in recent days. This was partly because there were also electric cars on board. The Bruges fire brigade was able to open and ventilate the hold with the burnt-out cars without any problems on April 18. This had to be done carefully, because otherwise there was a chance that the fire would flare up again. First the fire fighters opened the ship's hatches. Then the vessels's ventilation system was gradually activated, which all went off without incident. There was no longer any danger of the fire flaring up again. The deck is accessible again.It is not yet clear when the burned-out cars will be removed from the ship. It is estimated that at least 100 cars have been destroyed.

Around 100 cars damaged in fire

Around 100 cars were damaged in the fire on the 'Delphine' in the port of Zeebrugge. This was reported by the fire brigade after they entered the area with fire-resistant suits and oxygen bottles. There were 140 vehicles on the affected car deck, of which at least 100 have burned out. Among them many electric cars. Most batteries have burned out completely.The space was still between 60 and 100 degrees warm, which meant that the fire would flare up again if we were to open a hatch and allow oxygen in. Around midnight, nitrogen was supplied to extinguish the fire in that space. On the morning there was another consultation and it was decided not to open the space. The ship was equipped with CO2 tanks and with that the first part of the fire was fought. It will take a long time before the cars are removed from the space. The deck above was full of trailers and they also have to be removed from the ship. A ventilation operation with high-pressure fans started on April 18 at 10:00 a.m. and lasted until the evening. Due to the landward wind direction, there was a risk of smoke and odour nuisance in the area. Fire boats continued to actively cool the hull for fear of a re-emergence.

Fire in Zeebrugge

On April 16, 2025, at 3 p.m. a fire broke out on a vehicle deck of the 'Delphine', which had arrived from Immingham on April 15 and was moored at the Britannia Dock in the port of Zeebrugge. There were 110 electrical cars on board. Firefighters were attending in large contingents. Everyone on board was safely evacuated, there were no injuries. The captain of the ship remained on board to monitor the situation together with the fire brigade and emergency services. The fire was brought under control. Besides the fire brigade, four tugs were also deployed to fight the fire and cool down the ship's hull at starboard side. The internal fire fighting system was activated. By cutting off the oxygen supply with carbon dioxide, the fire was brought under control. The fire brigade was now looking at how to tackle the fire further. There was a risk that the fire might flare up again when the hatches are opened. It was also not yet clear how extensive the damage is. The hold is pitch black due to the large amount of smoke. There was a lot of smoke from the electric cars, which also made the extinguishing work more difficult.The fire had no major consequences for the operation of the rest of the port. The ships can still sail in and out, a ship that was at the LNG terminal had to wait because of the perimeter. Report with photo: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/04/16/brand-cargoschip-zeebrugge/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJsukpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHkXXEm991fWYvFkGT82yNG3f2l3C3_KoYBSUpmK08mIF06cgsQM4eP6jIfko_aem_Ctw36kMssSfI_sSFUneKdQ https://focus-wtv.be/nieuws/brand-op-russisch-cargoschip-in-haven-zeebrugge-brandweer-nog-volop-aan-het-blussen