Burnt-Out Vessel Carrying 4,000 Luxury Cars Sinks In The Atlantic

A burning cargo ship adrift in the Atlantic Ocean carrying approximately 4,000 luxury automobiles from Volkswagen AG VWAGY sank as it was being towed to land.

What Happened: The 650-foot, 60,000-ton cargo ship called the Felicity Ace departed from Emden, Germany, on Feb. 10, to Davisville, Rhode Island, for the delivery of European luxury cars. A fire started Feb. 16 on the vessel that crew members were unable to contain, and the Portuguese military evacuated the 22-member Felicity Ace crew roughly 200 miles off Terceira Island in the Azores.

According to a Bloomberg report, a salvage team was able to put out the fire and the vessel was secured for a return to the nearest port. The vessel was 250 miles from the Azores Islands, a Portuguese territory, when it listed to starboard before sinking into the ocean.

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What Happens Next: The Felicity Ace was accompanied by boats and salvage craft when it went down, and the Portuguese Navy estimated the ship disappeared in an area that is more than 9,800 feet deep.

Although a small stain of oily residue emerged from the wreckage, there does not appear to be any significant oil pollution from the Felicity Ace. The Portuguese Navy plans to send divers and clean-up equipment to the site.

Volkswagen did not comment on the vessel’s disappearance and the loss of its VW, Porsche, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini-branded models.

Photo: Portuguese Navy