Posted on 02/17/2022 9:34:23 PM PST by BenLurkin
A ship carrying cars from Germany to the United States caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, forcing the crew's 22 members to abandon the vessel and leave it burning and adrift.
The nearly 650-foot-long ship Felicity Ace is capable of carrying 4,000 cars and was loaded with Porsches and Volkswagens.
The Portuguese navy rescued all 22 members of the crew from the ship, which was scheduled to arrive in Davisville, R.I., on Feb. 23. The crew was taken by helicopter to Faial island in the Azores, The Associated Press reported. None of the crew members were hurt.
As of Thursday, the fire is still active on the ship, the Portuguese navy reported.
The Volkswagen Group said in a statement to the AP that Felicity Ace was transporting to the U.S. "vehicles that the German automaker manufactured." The company declined to comment further on the effect the fire may have on customers in the U.S. or the automotive group itself.
A spokesperson for Porsche Cars North America told NBC Bay Area in San Jose, Calif., that the manufacturer is in contact with the shipping company, as a number of its cars are among the cargo.
"Our immediate thoughts are of relief that the 22 crew of the merchant ship "Felicity Ace" are safe and well. A number of our cars are among the cargo. We are in contact with the shipping company and the details of the cars on board are now known. While it remains too early to confirm what occurred and next steps, we are – along with our colleagues at Porsche AG – supporting our customers and our dealers as best we can to find solutions. Anyone concerned by this incident and the implications on the car they've ordered should contact their Porsche dealer," the company said in its statement.
The ship's owner is arranging an oceangoing tug, but Portuguese navy spokesman Cmdr. José Sousa Luís said the ship is unlikely to be towed to a port in the Azores because of its size, the AP reported.
OMG! All those chips going to waste being burned up. Probably dump many vehicles overboard to get to the fire. To put it out.
I can see a guy getting a phone call from his VW dealership. About the VW Tiguan he paid for to reserve it 4 months ago.
“About the Tiguan you paid for in advance.... It’s at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. And Tiguan prices have gone up $2500 since you put down your deposit”
It has been proven that lithium ion batteries are safe and effective. So that can’t be the cause.
I was on a similar wavelength, wondering how the environuts managed to get a submarine.
I wonder how many Bentley’s and other were on there, if any. It would be funny if there were a few of those multimillion dollar supercars on there (however if I was waiting for mine, it would not be funny). Most seem to be manufactured by some child of VW and use their engines.
I can just imagine a scene where a dude is waiting at the pier with for his Chiron or Bugatti or whatever, with his hot chick, taking selfies, showing off the bill of sale that he spent $3M on, the car is being driven off the ship and the ramp collapses, sending the supercar to the bottom of the harbor. Imagine the look on the poor YouTube “influencer” schmuck’s face. ;)
Boom Boom Boom
Relax. They were all insured, and included many older
VW diesels. /
It’s time for Somali pirates to get aboard, set sails, and wait to travel back east.
Y’know, before WWII, an American submarine lost its diesel power, the Captain had the crew stitch every available fabric together, and sailed successfully back to port in Hawaii.
“safe and effective”, like a vaccine ?
The good news is that the VW’s finally pass emissions.
Has Ayn Rand's John Galt arrived?
Did Ragnar Danneskjold do this?
Could be a U boat.
Paging Greenpeace.
Off topic but....took my Mercury Milan in for three recall issues. They call me at the end of the day and told me they are waiting on a part. Until it is installed the car really isn’t safe to drive. So how long before this part comes in, I ask. Months, they tell me. Ford is supplying me a loaner, I pay the taxes on the rental of $5.00 a day.
“lithium batteries?”
If the cars started the fire, that would be the ONLY possibility as they’re obviously unfueled.
Volkswagen.
Das UnterseeAuto.
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