Video: Feeder Suffers Explosion and Fire in the North Sea

 

Dutch responders have successfully extinguished a vessel fire after an explosion aboard a boxship off Hoek van Holland. 

At about 1300 hours local time, the Dutch coast guard received an alert of a blast aboard the small container feeder Victoria L, which was headed for Rotterdam on a ballast voyage. The crew was engaged in fighting the resulting fire, and no injuries were reported.

After initial gains in combating the blaze, the fire reflashed at about 1330 hours. A fire crew from shore joined the ship by helicopter to assist in the effort, and multiple response boats arrived on scene, including the tug Multraship Protector and two lifeboats of the KNRM rescue service. Video from the scene released late Wednesday appeared to show the boxship trimmed heavily by the stern and pumping water over the side. 

Vanuit de lucht houden we de situatie in de gaten??. Op de videobeelden is het containerschip Victoria L te zien met daarbij de noodhulpsleper Multraship Protector, twee reddingboten van de @KNRM en de kustwachthelikopter. pic.twitter.com/3bVTyY6bGJ

— Kustwacht Nederland (@Kustwacht_nl) April 9, 2025

As of Wednesday evening, the fire was extinguished and the first responders disembarked the vessel. Victoria L is expected to resume her voyage to Rotterdam under her own power. 

It is the second major casualty involving a feeder in European coastwise trade in as many months, following the allision of the boxship Solong with the tanker Stena Immaculate off the UK in March.