A cargo ship carrying about 4,000 vehicles from Europe to the United States sank Tuesday after a fire broke out on board about two weeks ago. The Washington Examiner reports, MOL Ship Management Singapore Pte Ltd announced that their ship Felicity Ace turned over and sank approximately 253 miles off the coast of Portugal. It was a 60,000-ton commercial ship transporting premium Volkswagen vehicles, such as Porsche, Bentley, Audi, and Lamborghini.
When the fire broke out in the cargo hold of the Felicity Ace in the mid-Atlantic Azore Islands on February 16, the ship sent out a distress call. The Felicity Ace’s 22 crew members were all safely evacuated, but images from adjacent ships showed the ship enveloped in smoke and flames. Volkswagen said, “large parts of the nearly 4,000 vehicles from several group brands were so damaged in the ship fire that they can no longer be delivered.”
Insurance specialists Russell Group Ltd, believe the cargo on board was worth around $438 million, including an automobile supply worth roughly $401 million. Furthermore, Russell thinks that Volkswagen will lose at least $155 million.
The ship was being towed by tug boats from Dutch business, SMIT Salvage when it sank. MOL stated that there were no oil leaks on board and now with the ship gone, there’s no way of knowing how the fire originated.
” there’s no way of knowing how the fire originated.” – The crew was rescued. Just maybe they know where the fire started. Lithium batterie packs are known spontaneously to ignite and can’t be extinguished.