Featured Image Credit: Portuguese Navy
Topics: Cars
Poppy Bilderbeck
A cargo ship carrying more than a thousand Porsches has been abandoned after it set alight in the middle of the ocean.
On the morning of Tuesday, February 16, the Felicity Ace was in the middle of the Atlantic on its way to Davisville, Rhode Island, having set sail from Emden, Germany, when it issued a distress signal after a fire set alight onboard.
Nearly 4,000 Volkswagen vehicles and Porsches were onboard the 200-metre-long ship, and 22 members of crew had to be rescued by the Portuguese navy.
It has not yet been confirmed what caused the fire.
The incident was confirmed by Porsche via their Track Your Dream app, Auto Evolution reports.
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The statement read: 'We are aware of an incident aboard the Felicity Ace, a specialized cargo ship carrying certain Porsche vehicles. Your dealership will provide you with additional information on how this impacts you as soon as we have additional information and know the full scope of the issue.'
Volkswagen also acknowledged the incident, per Business Insider. A spokesperson said: '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.'
YouTuber Matt Farah has also spoken out about the potential loss of his car that was reportedly onboard the ship.
On Twitter, Farah explained he received a 'call from [his] dealer'. 'My car is now adrift, possibly on fire, in the middle of the ocean,' he commented.
In a later post he updated followers: 'For everyone who is asking the dealer has promised to keep me posted with any updates on how Porsche decides to sort this out. Odds are a new build and hopefully not another 8 months wait for it.'
A spokesperson for Porsche confirmed that 'a number' of the company's cars were indeed onboard the ship, but that it was too early to tell if any could be recovered. The Guardian reports there were around 1,100 Porsches onboard.
However, they said that all customers affected by the fire will be contacted.
According to the Associated Press, the crew members have since been taken to hotels roughly 100 miles away from the ship in Azores' Faial Island.
A patrol boat from the Portugese Navy and four merchant vessels are currently assisting in the operation, while the Portuguese air force was also mobilized.
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