A cargo ship caught fire and thousands of luxury cars i.e. Porsche and Volkswagen cars have been abandoned on ship when it is in the Atlantic Ocean, en route to the US.
The ship, named Felicity Ace, was travelling from Emden in Germany before it caught ablaze off the coast of Portugal’s Azores islands.
German newspaper Handelsblatt reported the ship was carrying 3,965 vehicles, which also included Lamborghinis, Audis and a small number of Bentleys.
The ship’s crew has been saved.
Portugal’s Navy Statement
“No one was hurt by the fire, which broke out on Wednesday, and the 22 crew members were taken to a hotel after the navy, four merchant ships sailing in the area and the Portuguese Air Force completed the evacuation”.
“The owner of the ship Felicity Ace is in contact with the logistic agent in order to draw up a plan for the towing of the ship,” the navy said in a statement.
“Until now, no source of pollution has been recorded.”
According to Handelsblatt, an internal email from Volkswagen USA stated that the vessel was transporting 3,965 vehicles of the Porsche, VW, Lamborghini and Audi brands.
Volkswagen confirmed that almost 4,000 cars are on-board, Porsche said it had about 1,100 of its models on the vessel.
The company said it was “aware of an incident involving a third-party cargo ship transporting Volkswagen Group vehicles across the Atlantic”.
Bentley confirmed that 189 of its cars were also onboard the vessel.
“We are working with the shipping company to find out more information,” said a spokesperson.
According to the website Marine Traffic, The ship was travelling to a Volkswagen factory in Davisville, Rhode Island.
One customer tweeted to say his Porsche was on board the abandoned ship.
Customers affected by the blaze will be contacted by their Porsche dealer, the spokesperson said.
The incident comes during a chaotic time in the auto industry. A global lack of computer chips continues to squeeze automakers, forcing them to cut shifts and produce fewer vehicles. A lack of new list on dealer lots is making new and used cars extraordinarily expensive, and industry watchers believe the high prices may never return to pre-pandemic levels.
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