The Felicity Ace, a cargo ship transporting hundreds of luxury vehicles from a Volkswagen plant in Germany to the United States, sank on Tuesday, two weeks after catching fire and being abandoned in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Felicity Ace Sank in Rough Seas While Being Towed to “Safe Area”
According to a salvage team hired by operator MOL Ship Management of Singapore, the Panama-flagged Felicity Ace went down at approximately 9:00 a.m. on March 1st, shortly after tilting starboard in rough seas about 250 miles off the Azores.
The Portuguese navy said that only a few pieces of debris and a small amount of oil were visible where the ship sank.
The massive vessel had been traveling from Emden, Germany, en route to Davisville, Rhode Island, when it caught fire on February 16th, about 90 miles south of the Azores. Fortunately, the entire 22-person crew was able to evacuate the burning ship.
The Felicity Ace remained aflame and adrift for days off Western Europe. The sinking occurred as the vessel was being towed to a “safe area” off the Azores.
Nearly 4,000 Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, & Bentley Vehicles Lost at Sea
Nearly 4,000 Volkswagen-branded luxury cars and SUVs – including Audis, Porches, Lamborghinis, and Bentleys – were aboard the Felicity Ace when the fire broke out. According to Volkswagen, total damages for all the vehicles – estimated at about $335 million – will be covered by insurance.
“We are already working to replace every car affected by this incident, and the first new cars will be built soon,” Angus Fitton, vice president of public relations at Porsche Cars North America Inc., told the Associated Press.
The disaster could not have come at a worse time for the automotive industry, which was already struggling with supply-chain issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and record demand driven by low interest rates.
Felicity Ace Fire Remains Under Investigation
Constructed in 2005, the Felicity Ace was owned by Snowscape Car Carriers SA. Before its demise, the nearly 650-foot-long vessel could carry 17,000 metric tons of cargo and up to 4,000 vehicles.
It’s still not known what might have triggered the Felicity Ace fire.
The blaze erupted in the ship’s cargo hold, and there has been some speculation that lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles onboard might have played a role in the fire.
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