AZORES, PORTUGAL — A massive cargo ship, estimated to be carrying thousands of vehicles, including 1,100 Porsche, sank off to the coast of the Azores on Thursday, after 22 crew members were rescued.

On Wednesday morning, a fire broke out in the cargo hold of a ship called Felicity Ace. This ship had left Emden, Germany, on February 10 and was expected to arrive in Davisville, Rhode Island, on Wednesday, according to a statement released by the Portuguese Navy. 

The fire started in the cargo hold and quickly spread, forcing all 22 crew members to leave. In a statement from the Portuguese Navy, the crew was safely picked up and transferred to a local hotel. The rescue was managed by the Ponta Delgada Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center. As per the statement, there has been no visible source of pollution due to the fire.

According to authorities, no rescuers or crew members were injured during the “highly skilled and physically demanding” operation, which involved using a helicopter to transport the crew members to the nearby Portuguese island of Faial.

Portuguese authorities rescued the crew on Wednesday when the ship was about 322 kilometres from Terceira Island in the Azores, the Portuguese island territory.

Meanwhile, expectant Porsche owners with cars on board, such as journalist and host Matt Farah, who said he was waiting for a 2022 Porsche Boxster Spyder, have already started hearing from dealerships regarding their vehicles’ status. 

“The dealer confirmed that my car is on that boat, along with at least a dozen other cars they were expecting. They had no further information for me other than to confirm that my car was on the boat, and they said that as soon as Porsche Cars North America has any kind of strategy, they would share it with me,” Farah stated. 

According to the Associated Press, the Felicity Ace can transport nearly 17,000 metric tons of cargo, with thousands of cars on board. The Drive, an automotive website, also reports that the Volkswagen Group has an estimated 4,000 vehicles on board, which includes 189 Bentleys.

As of Thursday, the fire is still burning, and an ocean patrol vessel remains in the area to monitor the abandoned ship. – WhatALife!

Source: (nytimes.com)

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