THE HAGUE - Authorities were racing Thursday to prevent a possible ecological disaster off the Dutch coast where a blaze raged aboard a car carrier ship for a second day. The Fremante Highway, a Panamanian-flagged vessel, remained tethered to a salvage ship but was drifting westwards following a fire that broke out on board late on Tuesday. “The fire is still burning on board,” the Dutch Coast Guard said in its latest update. The Fremantle Highway was “now 16 kilometres (8.6 nautical) miles off the island of Terschelling,” it said, adding: “The vessel is currently kept outside the traffic lanes, so that shipping traffic can pass at a safe distance”.