Thousands of cars adrift on a burning cargo ship

The Felicity Ace, a big Panama-flagged cargo ship carrying thousands of luxury cars from the Volkswagen Group, including Porsche, Lamborghini and Audi, caught fire near the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday afternoon.

According to a statement from the Navy, the ship’s 22 crew members were safely evacuated and transferred to a local hotel by the Portuguese Navy and Air Force, who were dispatched to assist with the rescue mission. The ship was abandoned, unmanned, and floating.

According to an internal communication from Volkswagen’s US division, the ship was carrying 3,965 Volkswagen AG automobiles. The group’s headquarters are in Wolfsburg, Germany, and it makes Volkswagen, as well as Porsche, Audi, and Lamborghini, all of which were in tow when the ship caught fire, according to the email.

According to the email, over 100 of those cars were bound for the Port of Houston in Texas, with GTI, Golf R, and ID.4 versions believed to be at risk. This latest blow comes as the car sector grapples with a slew of supply-chain challenges, including widespread labour shortages and semiconductor chip shortages.

According to Luke Vandezande, a Porsche spokesperson, the business thinks that roughly 1,100 of its vehicles were on board Felicity Ace at the time of the incident. Customers impacted by the issue, he added, are being contacted by their car dealerships. “Our first thoughts are of relief that the 22 crew members of the Felicity Ace commercial ship are safe and sound,” Vandezande stated.

It's not the first time the company’s goods have gone missing at sea. When the Grande America caught fire and sank in 2019, it sank with it, taking over 2,000 expensive cars with it, including Audi and Porsche.

On social media, some customers expressed their dissatisfaction. According to one Twitter user, his custom-spec’d Porsche Boxter Spyder was among the outgoing cargo. The vehicle’s standard variants start at roughly $99,650.

A spokesman for Lamborghini’s US division declined to say how many cars were on board or which models were harmed, but said the business is in contact with the shipping company to learn more about the situation.

The Felicity Ace, which is about the size of three football fields, was its route to a port in Davisville, Rhode Island, when a distress signal was sent out due to a fire on one of its cargo decks.

The ship’s owner was preparing for the vessel to be towed as of Wednesday night, according to the Navy. They intend to stay on site to monitor the situation, and thus far there have been no signs of pollution.

According to the email, over 100 of those cars were bound for the Port of Houston in Texas, with GTI, Golf R, and ID.4 versions believed to be at risk.