1:43 pm, February 18, 2022
A cargo ship carrying close to 4,000 Volkswagen Group cars has been left at sea after a huge fire forced the crew to evacuate.
Felicity Ace had been carrying the vehicles from Germany to the US when the blaze broke out near the Azores on Wednesday (Feb 16).
The 22-man crew was forced to abandon the ship, which was carrying 1,100 Porsches and 198 Bentleys as well as vehicles from Lamborghini and Audi.
The Portuguese Navy confirmed that the vessel had been safely evacuated and no one was injured in the fire.
The Guardian reports that an internal email sent among VW staff confirmed that a total of 3,965 vehicles were on board.
They were travelling from Emden, where Volkswagen has a factory, to Davisville, Rhode Island, according to shipping data.
It’s unclear to what extent they have been damaged in the blaze.
Images of the ship with smoke billowing from the top have been widely shared on social media in recent days.
BREAKING: A giant cargo ship “Felicity Ace” is on fire in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
It’s carrying a cargo of Porsche and VW automobiles.
The crew safely abandoned ship in lifeboats. Under maritime law the ship is now “finders keepers.” pic.twitter.com/gHLqHncrOi
— Retro Tech Noir (@RetroTechNoir) February 17, 2022
Azorean authorities confirmed the fire remains active but has been brought under control.
