The 22 crew members were evacuated when the nearly 200-meter-long Felicity Ace caught fire 170 kilometers from the Azores on Wednesday. Since then, the stray ship, which was on its way from Emden in Germany to the United States, has been in operation.
On the many car decks in the ship, there are around 4,000 new cars from the Volkswagen Group, including Audier, Bentleyer, Lamborghinier and 1,100 Porsches intended for the American market.
– The burning car transport ship Felicity Ace is in operation in the middle of the Atlantic with 4,000 new cars, including Volkswagen and Porscher, on board. Photo: Portuguese Navy / AP / NTB
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The fire broke out on one of the car tires and spread from the bow to the stern. Due to the high temperatures, the ship’s side has started to melt in some places, and the ship has had a list.
The impact side means that large amounts of water cannot be used in the extinguishing. In addition, there is a danger that the water may flush toxic substances into the sea, says harbor master João Mendes Cabeças on the island of Faial in the Azores.
Here the cargo ship is evacuated with luxury cars
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Many of the cars on the ship are electric, and the batteries further complicate the extinguishing work, he says.
Three sea-going tugs are expected to be in place on Wednesday, but it is unlikely that the ship can be towed to port in the Azores due to its size.
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