A cargo ship bound for the United States from Germany caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday and is still drifting off the surface near the Azores, Fox News reported.
"Felicity Ace" fire Source: Foreign media
The Portuguese Navy rescued all 22 crew members from the ship, named felicity Ace, which was scheduled to arrive at port Davisville in Rhode Island on Feb. 23.
The Panamanian-flagged vessel was quickly found by Portuguese Navy patrol boats and four merchant ships in the area after a distress signal was sent on Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. website The Drive. With the fire still burning, rescue plans are also in the making. The website confirmed that there were 189 Bentleys and an unknown number of Audis on board, and the Volkswagen Group estimated the total number of cars on board was close to 4,000.
Built in 2005, the Felicity Ace is 656 feet long, 104 feet wide, has a load of 17,738 tons and can accommodate nearly 4,000 cars at full load.
No one was injured in the accident, but the cargo ship contained an unknown number of Volkswagen Group-owned brands of cars, including Porsche, according to Fox News.
Porsche said in a statement: "We are relieved that the 22 crew members on the 'Felicity Ace' are safe. Some of our cars were on board and we were in touch with the company that owned the boat and had been informed of the specifics of the cars on board. The reseller is contacting customers affected by this incident. ”
The cause of the fire on board is currently unknown. The Volkswagen Group, which owns car brands such as Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley, said in a statement, "We are working with local authorities and shipping companies to investigate the cause of the accident." ”
"Felicity Ace" Image source: foreign media
Messages posted on social media show that many of the Porsche cars are special orders that customers have been waiting for for months.
A spokesman for the Portuguese Navy said the ship's owner, the Japanese merchant ship Mitsui, was trying to find an ocean-going tug to tow the cargo ship to shore.
(Editor: ZLQ)