A SAILOR has died after a massive blaze ripped through a cargo ship carrying 3,000 cars in the North Sea.
Rescue helicopters and boats raced to evacuate the 23 crew members from the 18,500-tonne vessel sailing from Germany to Egypt.
The Dutch coastguard said the blaze was "still raging" on the Fremantle Highway – with pictures showing a huge plume of black smoke drifting over the sea from the stricken vessel.
The incident happened about 27 kilometres north of the island of Ameland, off the coast of the Netherlands.
Several crew members were forced to jump overboard as the huge blaze swept through the vast ship, the coastguard said.
"Around midnight the coastguard received a report that the Fremantle Highway is on fire," a spokesperson said.
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"The crew tried to put out the fire themselves, but failed.
"Unfortunately one person died and several others were injured."
Many crew members were airlifted to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and injuries from the frantic evacuation.
The Fremantle Highway was carrying 2,857 cars – 25 of them electric.
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One of the electric vehicles was suspected to have caused the fire, the coastguard said.
The 199-metre ship, which left the German port of Bermenhaven, was towed out of shipping lanes early on Wednesday, Dutch broadcaster NOS reports.
Salvage vessels are now on the scene trying to put out the blaze and stop the ship from sinking.
"Currently there are a lot of vessels on scene to monitor the situation and to see how to get the fire under control," Lea Versteeg from the Dutch coastguard said.
"But its all depending on weather and the damage to the vessel."
Asked if it was possible the massive ship could sink, Versteeg said: "It's a scenario we're taking into account and we're preparing for all scenarios.
"We hope that the fire will be under control or will die out and that we can get the vessel in a safe location.
"But it's all uncertain whats going to happen now."
The crew were evacuated to the nearby Dutch port of Lauwersoog.
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Authorities in Germany are also monitoring the situation.
A spokesman for the German sea disaster command in the northern city of Cuxhaven said rescue ships were ready to help if needed.
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