The 200-metre-long cargo ship carried 22 crew members and around 4,000 cars fresh out of production. According to media reports, the load includes vehicles from carmakers VW, Porsche, and Audi. Rumour has it that Bentleys and Lamborghinis may also be on board.
The fire most likely started on the car deck of the ship. A Porsche spokesperson has in the meantime estimated that around 1,100 Porsches are on board of the “Felicity Ace”. Affected customers will be contacted by their respective dealerships. The company statement further underlines that the most important matter is the safety of the crew, who managed to abandon ship with the help of lifeboats.
The ship embarked from Emden in Germany and was destined for Rhode Island in the United States. The crew members were already saved on Wednesday and the freighter has since been floating in the middle of the Atlantic. According to the Portuguese navy, the fire has not been extinguished yet.
The navy has now deployed ships to the scene to estimate whether any dangerous substances have leaked into the ocean and to see if the fire has by now ended by itself. Experts will further assess the possibility of towing the ship to the nearest port.
