Cargo Ship Carrying Luxury Cars Such As Lamborghinis, Porches, Audis Catches Fire Mid-journey

A massive Panama-flagged cargo ship named The Felicity Ace, which was carrying thousands of Volkswagen Group vehicles caught fire near the Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday afternoon.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the ship had 22 crew members onboard who were successfully evacuated and taken to a local hotel by the Portuguese Navy and Air Force, who were deployed to help with the rescue effort. The ship was left unmanned and adrift.

Bloomberg

Based on an internal email from Volkswagen's U.S. operations, there were 3,965 Volkswagen AG vehicles aboard the ship. Headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, the group manufactures its Volkswagen brand, as well as Porsche, Audi, and Lamborghini- all of which were in tow when the vessel set ablaze, the email said.

More than 100 of such cars were on their way to Port of Houston in Texas, USA, with GTI, Golf R and ID.4 models were deemed to be at risk, according to the email.

This latest hit comes as the automobile industry is already ensnared in ongoing supply chain issues, including pandemic labour woes and semiconductor chip shortages.

Bloomberg

Luke Vandezande, a spokesperson for Porsche, said the company estimates around 1,100 of its vehicles were among those on board Felicity Ace at the time of the fire.

He added that customers who were affected by the incident are being contacted by their automobile dealers. He said, "Our immediate thoughts are of relief that the 22 crew of the merchant ship Felicity Ace are safe and well."

This is not the first time that a manufacturer has suffered damages at sea. The Grande America caught fire and sank in 2019, and more than 2,000 luxury cars, including Audi and Porsche, sank with it.

A spokesperson for Lamborghini's U.S. branch declined to comment on the number of cars the company had onboard or which models were affected but said that they are in contact with the shipping company to get more information about the incident.

The ship's owner was arranging for the vessel to be towed, the Navy said. The plan is to remain on-site to monitor the situation. They have also reported no detectable traces of pollution so far.

Bloomberg

For more trending stories, click here.