Burning ship carrying luxury cars left adrift after rescue of crew

NEW YORK • A mammoth cargo ship believed to be carrying thousands of vehicles, including 1,100 Porsches, was on fire and drifting off the coast of the Azores on Thursday after its 22 crew members were rescued from the vessel.

The fire broke out on Wednesday morning in the cargo hold of the ship, called Felicity Ace. It had left Emden in Germany on Feb 10 and was scheduled to arrive in Davisville, Rhode Island, on Wednesday, according to a shiptracking website.

The ship was about 320km from Terceira Island in the Azores, the Portuguese island territory, when Portuguese forces moved in on Wednesday to evacuate the crew.

No one was injured in the "highly skilled" operation, which included a helicopter that whisked the crew members to the nearby Portuguese island of Faial, according to the authorities.

It was unclear how much of the 200m, 60,000-tonne cargo ship's inventory was lost in the fire and how the authorities would tend to the stricken ship.

The shipping company could not immediately be reached.

The fire comes as showrooms across the United States are trying to meet consumer demand amid supply-chain problems caused partly by the coronavirus pandemic. Low interest rates, higher savings rates and government stimulus payments have increased demand, while automakers have struggled to weather a shortage of computer chips.

In a statement on Thursday evening, a spokesman for Porsche Cars North America said 1,100 of the company's cars were on board but that the fate of the vehicles was unknown. She encouraged customers worried about their car to contact their dealer.

"Our immediate thoughts are of relief that the 22 crew members of the merchant ship Felicity Ace are safe and well," the statement said.

An internal e-mail from Volkswagen's US operations revealed there were 3,965 Volkswagen AG vehicles aboard the ship. Headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, the group manufactures vehicles under brands including Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi and Lamborghini - all of which were in tow when fire broke out on the vessel.

It is not the first time the manufacturer has lost merchandise at sea. When the Grande America caught fire and sank in 2019, more than 2,000 luxury cars, including Audis and Porsches, sank with it.

Some customers expressed their disappointment on social media. One Twitter user reported that his customised Porsche Boxter Spyder was on board the ship. Standard models of the vehicle start around US$99,650 (S$134,000).

A spokesman for Lamborghini's US operation said it is in contact with the shipping firm to get more information about the incident.

As at Wednesday night, the ship's owner was arranging for the vessel to be towed, the Portuguese navy said. It plans to remain on site to monitor the situation, reporting no detectable traces of pollution so far.

NYTIMES, BLOOMBERG