A cargo ship carrying nearly 3,000 automobiles — including some made by the German automakers BMW Group AG and Mercedes-Benz Group AG — burned for a second day near the Netherlands as the Dutch coast guard fought to contain the blaze. A crew member aboard the Fremantle Highway died as the fire engulfed the ship after midnight Wednesday. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately apparent. All 23 people on board, including several injured crew and the person who died, were taken from the scene by helicopters and lifeboats. The blaze was still burning early Thursday in the North Sea, about 17 miles (27 kilometers) north of the Dutch island of Ameland. The location is near a chain of Dutch and German islands that make up the Wadden Sea, a Unesco World Heritage site that’s one of the largest unbroken systems of intertidal sand and mud flats in the world and a habitat for migratory birds.
The 2,857 vehicles onboard the freighter en route from Bremerhaven, Germany, to Port Said in Egypt, included 25 electric cars, the German carmaker said. EVs generally pose about the same level of fire risk as traditional combustion-engine vehicles. Still, they tend to create more severe flames when their lithium-ion batteries overheat and trigger a process known as thermal runaway. The International Maritime Organization, which sets standards for safety at sea, plans to evaluate new rules on ships transporting EVs next year.
Whether you’re a fan of luxury or economy models, the chances are high that you’ve driven, owned, or at least seen a Mercedes or a BMW. These German-based carmakers are among the best-known brands in the world, and both have their origins in Daimler-Benz AG, the company founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz in 1886. Today, Mercedes-Benz is a division of Daimler AG, including commercial vehicle manufacturers Freightliner and Thomas Built Buses and the automotive parts supplier Detroit Diesel. On the other hand, BMW is wholly owned by its parent company, BMW AG, and manufactures and markets premium and luxury vehicles in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa.
Both companies have strong ties as a sign of how interconnected the motorcars world is. As the two largest premium-car makers in the world, they have forged strategic partnerships over the years. In addition to the technology they develop, Mercedes and BMW share facilities for research, development, production, sales, and distribution. They are also partners in the i2 initiative, which aims to develop efficient battery-powered cars that combine performance and range with the comforts and amenities expected of a luxury vehicle. The i2 program will expand to the US later this month. As part of this partnership, BMW and Mercedes are working with each other to optimize the driving experience through the use of a shared software platform. This will allow drivers to seamlessly move between the Mercedes and BMW vehicles in their fleets.
