Cargo ship heading for the US with up to 4,000 Porsches and Volkswagens catches fire in the middle of the Atlantic: Greek tanker rushes to save the crew of 22 from lifeboats who abandoned ship and were later airlifted by Portuguese Navy
- The cargo ship Felicity Ace which was carrying vehicles from Emden, Germany, to Davisville, Rhode Island, caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean
- Ship sounded an alarm after a fire broke out in the hold, and its crew of 22 abandoned ship and were safely rescued
- At least eleven crew members were picked up from a Greek tanker, Resilient Warrior, by a Portuguese Navy helicopter
- In the hold were Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles destined for the U.S.
A cargo ship carrying Porsches and Volkswagens has caught fire in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Portugal’s navy said 22 crew members evacuated from the massive cargo ship into lifeboats as it sat ablaze and adrift after it caught fire near the mid-Atlantic Azores Islands.
The Felicity Ace sounded the alarm after a fire broke out in the hold, the Portuguese Navy said in a statement. The cause of the fire is not known.
The 650-feet-long ship was sailing from Emden in Germany and had left on February 10 and was heading to the port of Davisville in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, according to online vessel trackers.
The ship, which can carry up to 4,000 vehicles, was originally expected to arrive at Davisville on February 23.
The ship regularly transports cars for Volkswagen, Lamborghini, Audi and Porsche.
The cargo ship Felicity Ace which was carrying vehicles from Emden, Germany, to Davisville, Rhode Island, caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean
The crew of 22 evacuated into lifeboats and were picked up by Resilient Warrior, a tanker operated by Greek company Polembros Shipping Limited. Pictured, view from Resilient Warrior with the Felicity Ace seen on the horizon
The 650-feet-long ship was sailing from Emden in Germany and had left on February 10 and was heading to the port of Davisville in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, according to online vessel trackers.
Portugal’s navy said one of its patrol boats and four merchant vessels were helping with the rescue. The Portuguese Air Force aircraft were also mobilized.
After transmitting the distress signal, a Portuguese Navy patrol boat together with four other merchant ships in the area headed toward where the distressed ship was located. The crew abandoned ship and got into lifeboats.
Eleven crew members have so far have been picked up from a Greek tanker, Resilient Warrior, by a Portuguese Navy helicopter.
Eager Porsche buyers logging into the Track Your Dream service, which details the progress of the car’s delivery, stated how the company was ‘aware of an incident on the Felicity Ace carrying certain Porsche vehicles.’
Matt Farah, the man behind The Smoking Tire YouTube channel, posted Wednesday regarding his own Porsche that was apparently onboard the ship.
‘I ordered a Boxster Spyder in August, and I was very excited to get it at the end of this month, and now it seems like it might become an artificial reef,’ said Matt Farah who runs the Smoking Tire YouTube channel, which has more than 1 million subscribers.
‘I’m only saying this because I know no one was hurt, which is obviously more important.’
Eleven crew members have so far have been picked up from a Greek tanker, Resilient Warrior, by a Portuguese Navy helicopter
The 650-feet-long ship, pictured, was sailing from Emden in Germany to Rhode Island
On Wednesday, Porsche released a statement over the stricken ship.
‘Our immediate thoughts are of the 22 crew of the merchant ship Felicity Ace, all of whom we understand are safe and well as a result of their rescue by the Portuguese Navy following reports of a fire on board.
‘We believe a number of our cars are among the cargo on board the ship. No further details of the specific cars affected are available at this time – we are in close contact with the shipping company and will share more information in due course.’
Volkswagen also released a statement: ‘We are aware of an incident today involving a cargo ship transporting Volkswagen Group vehicles across the Atlantic. At this time, we are not aware of any injuries. We are working with local authorities and the shipping company to investigate the cause of the incident.’
A Portuguese Navy spokesperson said there were no more details about the ongoing operation.