3 days ago
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Dutch Coastguard responds after explosion on board Victoria L
A huge explosion on board a 500ft container ship triggered a huge rescue mission in the North Sea on Wednesday afternoon. The Dutch coastguard was scrambled at around 1pm following reports of a fire on board the Liberian-flagged Victoria L as it journeyed near Hoek van Holland.
The container ship was travelling to the port of Rotterdam with a crew of 19 when the fire took place. The fire started in the engine room and was eventually put out by firefighters.
The coastguard sent multiple resources to the scene including tug boats and helicopters before announcing at around 5:30pm that the situation was under control.
THIS LIVE BLOG IS NOW CLOSED.
The Victoria L The Dutch coastguard was alerted on Wednesday afternoon after an explosion occurred o (Image: Vessel Finder)
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2 mins ago17:46 Kris Boratyn
Thank you for following our coverage
Thank you for following our coverage of the incident in the North Sea.
The situation is now under control and the ship is likely to sail to Rotterdam on its own.
11 mins ago17:37 Kris Boratyn
Situation under control with response scaled down
The Coastguard is now scaling down and the fire on board the Victoria L is out and the situation is under control.
Firefighters are now leaving the ship and most units are returning.
The Multraship Protector will remain near the container ship in case the situation changes.
According to the coastguard, the ship is likely to sail to Rotterdam on its own.
1 hour ago16:23 Kris Boratyn
The fire in the engine room has been put out
The Dutch coastguard has issued an update saying that the fire that started in the engine room has been put out.
They said: "The fire brigade team investigated with thermal imaging cameras. They then entered the engine room. The fire is out. There is still smoke in the ship. The units remain on standby."
2 hours ago16:10 Kris Boratyn
Coastguard releases pictures of the ship
The Dutch coastguard has released pictures of the Victoria L.
They show a number of emergency vessels around it and a coastguard helicopter hovering over it.
(Image: Dutch coastguard)
(Image: Dutch coastguard)
2 hours ago15:33 Kris Boratyn
Huge response from the Dutch coastguard
The Dutch coastguard has sent multiple vessels to assist with the explosion.
There are currently at least seven pieces of equipment either at the scene or currently being dispatched.
These are:
- The Coast Guard aircraft for images
- A coast guard helicopter for transporting the fire brigade team (MIRG-NL)
- A coast guard helicopter is on standby for possible evacuation
- Lifeboats from KNRM stations Scheveningen and Hoek van Holland
- The Multraship Protector (an emergency tug)
- The Arca (an oil spill response vessel of Rijkswaterstaat)
- The Multratug 36 (an emergency tug) is on its way
The Multraship Protector. (Image: Dutch coastguard)
3 hours ago14:53 Emily Wright
Fire broke out in engine room
According to the Netherlands Coast Guard, the fire broke out in the engine room on board the Victoria L.
No cargo was on board.
A firefighting team were brought on board by a coastguard helicopter. A second is on standbuy on a drilling platform near the container ship.
3 hours ago14:43 Emily Wright
Ship tracking footage shows moment of incident
Playback video from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider, MarineTraffic, shows the moment the incident on Victoria L ship occured in the North Sea.
MarineTraffic shows moment Victoria L exploded in North Sea
3 hours ago14:39 Emily Wright
Specialised firefighters en route by helicopter
A specialized team of firefighters is en route by helicopter to the container ship Victoria L, which is sailing approximately 37 miles northwest of Hoek van Holland, reports the Rijnmondveilig safety region.
The Dutch coastguard was alerted on Wednesday afternoon after an explosion occurred on a container s (Image: uncredited)
3 hours ago14:26 Emily Wright
Some crew jumped into the sea
According to the Dutch news item Westlanders.nu, several members of Victoria L's crew jumped into the sea.
So far, none of the 19 crew has been injured.
3 hours ago14:22 Emily Wright
Route of container ship in the North Sea - mapped
This screengrab from MarineTraffic shows the route Victoria L was taking before the incident.
It was scheduled to arrive in Rotterdam at 2pm local time (1pm BST).
(Image: MarineTraffic)
3 hours ago14:20 Emily Wright
More information on the ship
The Victoria L, built in 2009, sails under the flag of Liberia.
It is a huge 528ft long and 91ft wide.
It was previously named O. M. Bonitatis.
4 hours ago14:14 Emily Wright
Latest North Sea incident less than a month after Stena Immaculate crash
The Victoria L incident comes less than a month after the Portuguese-registered container ship Solong, hit US tanker Stena Immaculate on March 10.
The crash, occurring off the coast of the Humber Estuary, caused large fires on both vessels and sparked environmental conerns.
One man remains missing, named as Filipino national Mark Pernia. 36 others were rescued.
Solong's captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of St Petersburg, Russia, has since appeared at Hull Magistrates' Court and the Old Bailey charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody. He is due to stand trial in January 2026.
(Image: Getty)
4 hours ago14:12 Emily Wright
Crew still tackling blaze
It is not clear what caused the initial explosion.
Crew were said to be struggle to battle the blaze this afternoon as it flared up a second time.
4 hours ago14:07 Emily Wright
Emergency services rush to scene
Several ships rushed to the scene to help with the rescue mission.
Two helicopters with emergency services were also reportedly heading there is afternoon.
4 hours ago14:02 Emily Wright
Where is the Victoria L now?
According to MarineTraffic, the Victoria L container ship remains in the North Sea.
Several smaller ships, including a tug, are in the area.
It is now scheduled to arrive in Rotterdam at 4pm local time (3pm BST).
(Image: MarineTraffic)
4 hours ago13:56 Emily Wright
19 crew on board when incident occured
19 crew are believed to have been on board when the incident occurred.
None are believed to have been injured in the blast or resulting fire.
4 hours ago13:51 Emily Wright
What we know so far
This is what we know on the incident so far.
- A rescue mission in underway in the North Sea
- An explosion triggered a blaze on board a 500ft container ship, the Victoria L, according to Dutch media
- The Dutch coastguard was alerted around 1pm local time
- The container ship was sailing near Hoek van Holland, en route from Hamburg to the port of Rotterdam.
- 19 crew were on board when the incident occurred.
- The cuase of the initial explosion is not yet known.
4 hours ago13:49 Emily Wright
Good afternoon
Good afternoon and welcome to this live blog of events unfolding in the North Sea after a huge explosion on onboard a container ship occured this afternoon.
Follow along for live updates.
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