Video: Fire Erupts Aboard World’s Largest Short-Sea RORO Ship

A massive fire broke out aboard the roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) cargo vessel Delphine on Wednesday afternoon, April 16, 2025, while it was docked at the CLdN terminal in the Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium.

The vessel, reported to be the world’s largest short-sea ro/ro ship, was carrying a total of 260 vehicles, including 110 electric cars and several internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, when the incident occurred.

Per reports, the fire started at around 15:00 CET on the ship’s third deck, which contained 60 electric vehicles and 40 conventional cars.

The situation prompted an immediate and coordinated response from the ship’s crew and local emergency services.

The ship’s captain ordered the evacuation of all 26 crew members while choosing to remain onboard to help coordinate firefighting efforts.

Firefighting units from shore, including four specialised tugboats, responded quickly and provided cooling water to the starboard side of the vessel.

The affected compartment was sealed, ventilation was shut down, and the vessel’s onboard CO2 fire suppression system was activated early in the response, following the new industry guidelines for ro/ro fires.

This helped bring the blaze under control, officials said.

Video Credits: Flows/YouTube

Dirk de Fauw, the vice-chairman of the Port of Zeebrugge and Mayor of Bruges, confirmed that the fire was successfully contained.

However, he added that thick smoke from the burning electric vehicles made the firefighting operation more difficult.

The high temperatures inside the enclosed deck reached up to 100°C. Firefighting efforts continued through the night, with authorities remaining cautious due to the potential for re-ignition.

“The vehicles are no longer burning, but as soon as fresh air comes onto the deck we will have a resurgence,” the local fire brigade told media outlet HLN.

Emergency responders began pumping nitrogen into the affected deck to displace any oxygen. The nitrogen supply was brought in from Antwerp to create an inert environment inside the hold.

Although the visible flames were extinguished, the fire service warned that the situation could remain unstable.

The fire was eventually declared fully extinguished on the morning of Thursday, April 17. However, the complete removal of vehicles and trailers from the vessel is expected to take several days.

“It is not a matter of hours, but rather of days before all the cars are out of the hold and the trailers are back on shore,” said de Fauw.

Forse brandweerinzet in haven van Zeebrugge. Er woedt brand op een schip met o.a. elektrische auto’s.
via https://t.co/fQc7F5f1tp
Alarmering via https://t.co/tspq2kFNhN pic.twitter.com/fX6ktq5JQ3

— Aart van Oosten (@yellow_flame) April 16, 2025

Estimates suggest that around 60 to 70 vehicles were destroyed in the blaze, though the full extent of the damage remains under assessment.

Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, and no pollution has been detected.

Containment barriers were deployed around the vessel to prevent the spread of any hazardous materials. Operations in the rest of the Port of Zeebrugge continued without interruption.

The federal police also established a security perimeter around the Britannia Dock, where the incident occurred.

The MV Delphine, built in 2018 and operated by European logistics company CLdN, boasts a cargo capacity of 8,000 lane meters and is fitted with a Norsepower rotor sail installed in 2023 to improve fuel efficiency.

Reference: thefpa

Source: Maritime Shipping News