THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — One crew member died and others were injured as a fire burned Wednesday on a freight ship in the North Sea, the Dutch coast guard said.

Boats and helicopters were used to get the 23 crew members off the ship early Wednesday after they tried unsuccessfully to put out the blaze, the coast guard said in a statement.

The Fremantle Highway is a vehicle carrier that was sailing from the German port of Bremen to Port Said in Egypt.

It was still burning some 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the Dutch island of Ameland.

Images taken from shore showed a long plume of gray smoke drifting over the sea from the stricken ship.

Further details were not immediately available.