Cargo ship on fire with 1100 Porsche cars onboard
UPDATE: Almost 4000 VW, Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini cars are lost as ship finally sinksUPDATED: 02/03/2022 3:00PM: Any hopes of salvaging the 4000 Volkswagen Group vehicles from the Felicity Ace cargo ship that caught fire in the Atlantic ocean have been dashed, following confirmation the ship has sunk.
The thousands of luxury vehicles on board, including Porsches, Audis, Lamborghinis, Bentleys and Volkswagens bound for the USA, are now lying on the ocean floor.
The Felicity Ace sank roughly 350km from Portugal’s Azores Islands in heavy seas, despite efforts to try and tow it to the nearest port, reports Reuters.
The VW Group says the scuppered vehicles are covered by insurance but the loss of roughly $US400 ($A550m) million worth of cars could cost the German car-maker $US155 million ($213m), according to data and analytics company Russell Group.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE PUBLISHED 17/02/2022: A cargo ship with almost 4000 Volkswagen Group vehicles – including about 1100 Porsche sports cars – is on fire and drifting in the Atlantic Ocean.
According to Automotive News, the huge auto transport ship was carrying 3965 vehicles enroute from Europe to the US, including 189 new Bentleys and an unknown number of new Lamborghini, Audi and Volkswagen vehicles including Golf, Arteon and ID.4 models.
Volkswagen Group of America said it was not aware of any injuries, while a Porsche spokesperson told AN: “While it remains too early to confirm what occurred and next steps, we are – along with our colleagues at Porsche AG – supporting our customers and our dealers as best we can to find solutions.
“Anyone concerned by this incident and the implications on the car they’ve ordered should contact their Porsche dealer.”
The incident, first reported by Associated Press and TheDrive on Wednesday, is not expected to directly affect Porsche deliveries locally, but could lead to supply delays for a variety of markets including Australia.
According to reports, the 650ft-long, 106ft-wide Panamanian-flagged Felicity Ace is languishing more than a thousand miles off the coast of Portugal after its crew of 22 was safely evacuated by other vessels including the Portuguese navy.
The boat departed the German port of Emden on February 10 and was scheduled to arrive in Davisville, Rhode Island, on February 3.
Less than three years ago, more than 2000 luxury vehicles including Porsches and Audis were lost at sea when the Grande America caught fire and sank in 2019.
Image Source: Portuguese Navy
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