A car-carrying cargo ship burning near a Dutch bird habitat stokes environmental worries

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A cargo ship packed with cars is still burning close to a world-renowned bird habitat off the coast of the Netherlands. Firefighters and salvage crews are waiting for the flames from a fire that started late Tuesday to subside before attempting to board the vessel. The Fremantle Highway was sailing from the German port of Bremerhaven to Singapore when it caught fire in the North Sea about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the Dutch island of Ameland. German and Dutch officials expressed concern of an environmental disaster if the vessel sank. A flyover by the Dutch Coast Guard on Thursday showed smoke pouring from the ship and drifting over the sea.