Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Towing operation begins for cargo ship filled with Porsches after catching alight in the Atlantic

Recovery mission for the 60,000-tonne Felicity Ace marks end to fire saga

Gino Spocchia
Friday 25 February 2022 21:42 GMT
Comments
Cargo ship carrying hundreds of luxury cars on fire in Atlantic

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A crew have finally been able to board a cargo ship holding hundreds of luxury cars that set ablaze in the Atlantic last week, the ship’s owners have said.

The Felicity Ace vessel was holding an estimated $401m (£295m) worth of cars including Porsches, Audis, Bentleys and Lamborghinis, when it mysteriously set ablaze on Wednesday last week and began to drift not far from the Azores.

The ship’s owners announced on Thursday that “the stability of the vessel remains stable” and that “the smoke leaving the vessel has currently stopped and is not visible.” Nor was oil leaking from the ship, which was destined for Rhode Island, in the US.

“The salvage team on site were able to board Felicity Ace by a helicopter and the vessel has started being towed by the large salvage craft ‘Bear’ to a safe area off Azores,” the MOL Ship Management company said.

It marks the first time a crew have been able to board the ship since it set ablaze on 16 February, and 22 crew members were rescued by Portuguese authorities.

The fire broke out within five days of its departure from a port in Emden, Germany, and the cars were destined for Davisville, Rhode Island, before being subject to a fire, according to its owners.

On Monday, a Portuguese navy captain told The Wall Street Journal that the fire had finally began to subside after billowing smoke into the air for more than a week.

The Felicity Ace vessel seen burning on 16 February by the Portuguese Air Force
The Felicity Ace vessel seen burning on 16 February by the Portuguese Air Force (via REUTERS)

“There are no visible fire spots anymore, and there’s no more smoke,” said João Manuel Mendes Cabeças, a Portuguese naval captain of the firefighting work so far. “The temperature inside the ship is still high, but at least the crew can be on the main deck.”

A firefighting vessel from SMIT Salvage, the Dutch company contracted to salvage the ship, arrived on Wednesday and began putting out the blaze – which could be seen from the air – following the efforts of smaller tug vessels.

Video of the fire has shown smoke billowing into the air above the ship, that was last known to be drifting roughly 90 nautical miles southwest of the Portuguese island of the Azores in the Atlantic.

An insurer said earlier this week that an estimated $401m (£295m) worth of goods were onboard, resulting in more than $155m (£155m) in losses for Volkswagen, which owns Porsche and other car brands including Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in