Credit: Ship carrying Porsches and Bentleys ablaze near Azores, towing boats en route. February 18, 2022. Reuters
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A cargo ship carrying thousands of new cars bound for the US caught fire on Wednesday.
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The Volkswagen Group confirmed nearly 4,000 of its vehicles was on the ship.
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All 22 crew members were evacuated – Business Insider.
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Around 1,100 Porsches and 189 Bentleys were on board – spokesperson.
Nearly 4,000 new vehicles destined for North America are now in the bottom of the mid-Atlantic Ocean off the coast of a region of Portugal. On February 16th, the cargo ship – Felicity Ace, was carrying thousands of cars when a fire broke out while traveling from Germany to the USA.1
“The Felicity Ace fire is one of the first on board a major vehicle carrier loaded with a substantial cargo of electric vehicles.” The Wallstreet Journal
According to the Associated Press, the 650-foot-long Felicity Ace was carrying Porsches, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, and other luxury cars were among those on board. In the US, the Volkswagen Group sells vehicles under the Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, and Bugatti brands. A Porsche spokesperson confirmed that “a number” of Porsche cars are among the Felicity Ace’s cargo and said it’s too early to tell if any can be salvaged.
While it’s unclear exactly what started the blaze, it was suspected that lithium-ion batteries in EVs aboard the ship caught fire. All 22 crew members were evacuated from the ship and did not need medical attention, the Portuguese Navy said when the fire first broke out.
