Burning ‘ghost’ ship carrying 1,300 supercars ‘worth £120million’ SINKS in the Atlantic 13 days after crew escaped blaze
HUNDREDS of supercars worth up to £120million are at the bottom of the ocean today after a burning transporter ship sank in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Felicity Ace, which was taking the flash motors to customers in the US, had been abandoned by its crew after a fire broke out 13 days ago, 250 miles off the Azores.
According to the ship’s manager, the 650ft vessel listed to starboard as it was being towed before it went under.
Joao Mendes Cabecas, the captain of the nearest port on the island of Faial, told Reuters the Panama-flagged Felicity Ace had sunk as efforts to tow it began due to structural problems caused by the fire and rough seas.
"When the towing started… water started to come in," he said. "The ship lost its stability and sank."
The ship’s 22 crew members had previously managed to escape the fire and had been evacuated by a Portuguese Air Force helicopter.
Ocean-going tugboats carrying firefighting equipment had been drenching the ship’s hull in a bid to cool it down.
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The exact number of cars the ship was carrying it not known but similar sized vessels to the Felicity Ace can carry at least 4,000 vehicles.
Reports suggest there were 189 Bentley's among the fleet of cars.
European carmakers have declined to say how many vehicles and models were on board but Porsche customers in the US are being contacted by their dealers, the company said.
Angus Fitton, vice president of PR at Porsche Cars North America, Inc said in an email to The Associated Press: “We are already working to replace every car affected by this incident and the first new cars will be built soon.”
Portuguese authorities said the ship was carrying both electric and non-electric vehicles.
It is suspected lithium batteries used in the electric vehicles may have been the cause of the fire which started on February 16, although authorities say they have no firm evidence what started the blaze.
The ship was also carrying 2,200 tons of fuel and 2,200 tons of oil and authorities feared the ship could pollute the ocean.
Only a few pieces of wreckage and a small patch of oil were visible where the ship went down, according to the Portuguese navy.
It added tugboats were breaking up the patch of oil with hoses.
A Portuguese Air Force plane and a Portuguese navy vessel will remain at the scene looking for signs of pollution.
The vessel had first set sail from Emden, Germany, and was bound for the port of Davisville in the US state of Rhode Island.
The ship, which regularly ferries expensive cars such as Volkswagen, Lamborghini, Audi and Porsche, was expected to arrive in the US on February 23.
Matt Farah, a popular YouTuber and editor of The Smoking Tire, was one of the unlucky customers whose new purchase was on board The Felicity Ace.
“I just got a call from my dealer. My car is now adrift, possibly on fire, in the middle of the ocean," he said.
“I’m glad no one was hurt in the fire and everyone is safe, which is the most important thing.
"I’m sure that whatever happens going forward, Porsche will do right by their customers.”
A spokesman for Porsche previously confirmed that 1,100 of the company’s cars were on board but that the fate of the vehicles was unknown.
"Our immediate thoughts are of the 22 crew of the merchant ship Felicity Ace, all of whom we understand are safe and well as a result of their rescue by the Portuguese Navy following reports of a fire on board.
"We believe a number of our cars are among the cargo onboard the ship. No further details of the specific cars affected are available at this time – we are in close contact with the shipping company and will share more information in due course."
A spokesperson for Volkswagen 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."
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