Fire-broken ship carrying $401 million truly worth of luxurious autos sinks into the Atlantic
What just transpired? A cargo ship that caught hearth although sailing by way of the Atlantic with thousands of luxury autos onboard has sunk to the bottom of the ocean, having an approximated $401 million well worth of cars to a watery resting area.
The Felicity Ace was transporting practically 4,000 Volkswagen Team vehicles from Germany to a port in Rhode Island when a fire broke out on February 16. The 22-particular person crew was evacuated, and the hearth was eventually place out on February 25.
But what remained of the Felicity Ace in no way produced it to shore. The ship sank about 220 nautical miles off the coast of Portugal’s Azores Islands yesterday when remaining towed to security by salvage crews following getting hit by tough seas and leaning 45 degrees to its starboard facet.
“The weather conditions was pretty tough out there,” Pat Adamson, a spokesperson for the Felicity Ace’s operator, MOL Ship Administration, explained to Bloomberg. “And then she sank, which was a shock.”
Amid the lost cargo were being 189 Bentleys, about 1,100 Porsche cars and trucks, and an unspecified range of Audis. There were also VW and Lamborghini types on the vessel, 2,200 tons of fuel, 2,200 tons of oil, and supplies this kind of as metallic areas, plastics, electrical wires, and paint. The h2o where by it sank is near to 10,000 feet deep.
Tugboats are making use of water cannons to disperse a modest stain of oil residue at the site where the Felicity Ace sank. There is also some wreckage in the spot. A navy ship carrying divers and thoroughly clean-up tools will return to the area the moment it is resupplied.
Customers who dropped automobiles in the incident are staying contacted by their sellers. Angus Fitton, vice president of PR at Porsche Cars and trucks North The usa, informed The Related Press, “We are now doing work to substitute each and every vehicle affected by this incident and the 1st new cars and trucks will be crafted quickly.”
Precisely what prompted the fireplace is not known, but it’s suspected to have been a lithium battery from a single of the electrical cars.
