The Dutch Safety Board Calls for Urgent Reforms in North Sea Maritime Emergency Response

A critical investigation by the Dutch Safety Board has uncovered significant vulnerabilities in the North Sea’s maritime emergency response system, following the July 2023 Fremantle Highway fire incident.

The investigation focused on the emergency response to a fire aboard the Panamanian car carrier on July 25, 2023, approximately 27 kilometers north of Ameland. The incident, which started at 23:43 that evening, resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries.

Dutch Safety Board member Erica Bakkum highlighted persistent difficulties in maintaining control during multi-agency collaborations at the Coastguard Centre. She emphasized that the shared administrative responsibility of the Coastguard among several ministries complicates rapid response situations.

“The Dutch Safety Board has repeatedly raised concerns about the Coastguard Centre’s ability to collaborate effectively with other parties. The shared administrative responsibility among ministries hinders swift action,” Bakkum stated.

The investigation revealed a critical error in the initial response strategy where firefighting operations took precedence over search and rescue efforts, leading to dire consequences. Crew members jumped overboard, resulting in injuries and one fatality. The remaining crew members were later rescued by helicopter.

Inadequate information sharing caused delays in hospital transportation for rescued casualties, pointing to the need for enhanced digital information exchange between the Coastguard Coordination Centre and emergency response partners.

The Safety Board recommended appointing a director to coordinate improvements in emergency response, focusing on digital information exchange, decision-making processes, incident reporting systems, and mass casualty event preparedness. Additionally, clearer guidelines for maritime firefighting team deployment and prevention of operational conflicts were called for.

The investigation highlighted the system’s vulnerabilities during complex emergencies requiring coordinated responses from multiple organizations both at sea and onshore.