A ship full of German cars that were destined for U.S. roads are now drifting on a burning ship in the North East Atlantic Ocean near the Azores archipelago region of Portugal.
Earlier this week, 22 people were rescued from the ship, named the Felicity Ace. As of the last report of the ship on VesselFinder.com, a fire was still active aboard the Felicity Ace and it was travelling at 13.2 knots. The site said the ship could reach the Davisville Port in Rhode Island by next week.
According to an Associated Press report, the ship can transport thousands of vehicles. Volkswagen Group said in a brief statement the Felicity Ace was transporting vehicles produced by the company.
“The company declined to comment on what consequences the incident might have for U.S. customers or the VW Group,” said the outlet.
“A number of our cars are among the cargo. We are in contact with the shipping company and the details of the cars on board are now known.
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,” said a statement Porsche Cars North America provided to NBC Bay Area. “Anyone concerned by this incident and the implications on the car they’ve ordered should contact their Porsche dealer."
Porsche is owned by VW Group.
Approximately 3,965 Volkswagen Group vehicles are on board the Felicity Ace, according to Bloomberg and Porsche estimates that 1,100 of its vehicles are aboard, according to The Verge.
Business Insider reported Friday that YouTuber Matt Farah was one of the soon-to-be owners of a car aboard the Felicity Ace. He ordered a 2022 Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder, “specced exactly as I wanted it.”
This Porsche and other vehicles departed from Emden, Germany, on the Felicity Ace – a 650-feet long ship built in 2005 and currently sailing under a Panamanian flag – Feb. 10, according to VesselFinder.
By Wednesday, the Portuguese Navy, through the Ponta Delgada Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center, was working to rescue crew members from the merchant ship after a fire broke out in the cargo hold. At the time, the ship had 22 people aboard and was sailing 90 nautical miles southwest of the island of Faial.
Rescue operations included the ocean patrol vessel of the Portuguese Navy NRP Setúbal and four merchant ships as well as Portuguese Air Force assets.
Crew members were transported to Horta airport by a Portuguese Air Force EH-101 aircraft. They did not need medical assistance and were transported to a local hotel, according to the Portuguese Navy.
“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 Wednesday.
The ship’s operator, Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, said in an email it could not provide information about the cargo, the AP reported. The outlet also said that Portuguese Navy Cmdr. José Sousa Luís did not think the ship could be towed to a port in the Azores because of its size.
On Thursday, the ship was still around 90 nautical miles southwest of Faial and the blaze was still burning.
“The Setúbal ocean patrol vessel remains on site to monitor the situation, with no traces of pollution in the area being visible so far,” said the Portuguese Navy Thursday.
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