Fire Erupts On Cargo Ship At Germany’s Largest Port, Leaving 8 Seriously Injured

A fire broke out on a cargo ship at Germany’s Port of Hamburg on Sunday, leaving eight people seriously injured, including a firefighter, authorities said.

The blaze started on an approximately 90-metre-long freighter berthed at Grevenhofkai near Kuhwerderhafen in Hamburg’s Kleiner Grasbrook district.

Emergency services received the first call at 14:38 local time after smoke was seen rising from the vessel.

Seven injured people were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, while another person was treated at the scene by paramedics.

The Hamburg Fire Brigade said smoke was rising from the stern of the ship when emergency crews arrived.

The vessel’s crew had already started trying to fight the fire before firefighters reached the scene.

Authorities said the fire broke out in the ship’s storage area or cargo hold.

Around 80 personnel from the professional fire brigade, volunteer fire brigade and Hamburg rescue service were involved in the operation, which lasted about three hours.

Firefighters used several hose lines and breathing equipment to battle the blaze, while the fireboat Branddirektor Westphal supplied water from the harbour.

Divers were also deployed to support the emergency operation.

After the fire was extinguished, crews carried out follow-up inspections to ensure there were no remaining hot spots or dangerous temperatures onboard.

The scene was later handed over to Hamburg police, who are investigating the cause of the fire.

The Port of Hamburg is Germany’s largest seaport and one of Europe’s major cargo and logistics hubs.

According to official port data, it handled 114.6 million tonnes of seaborne cargo in 2025.

References: Xinhua, Portnews