Purple Beach
On May 25, the 192 meter long, 33720 dwt cargo vessel Purple Beach caught fire in the North Sea while en route from Immingham to Brake, Germany with a cargo of fertilizers. The fire started in one of the cargo holds of the Purple Beach and the crew quickly responded. The crew extinguished the blaze that evening, but the fire reignited the following day while the vessel was off Helgoland. The crew requested assistance with rescue boats, helicopters and salvage vessels arriving on scene. Reports state a firefighting team was brought on board to help contain the blaze. One of the 25 persons on board suffered injuries from the toxic gas released and was airlifted for treatment.