A fire is still burning on board a car-carrying cargo ship near a sensitive Dutch bird habitat

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A cargo ship packed with nearly 3,000 cars is still ablaze close to a world-renowned bird habitat off the Dutch coast. Firefighters and salvage crews are waiting for the flames 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 shortly before midnight Tuesday about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the Dutch island of Ameland sparking fears of an environmental disaster. The Dutch Coast Guard said Thursday the situation is stable. The agency plans to fly experts over the ship late in the morning to take stock of its condition. The cause of the fire has not yet been established.