An 198.12 metre long cargo ship transporting around 4000 luxury vehicles caught on fire while on route from Germany to the US.
Still alight, the Felicity Ace vessel is floating off the coast of Azores in Portugal, after its 22-member crew was rescued.
The Associated Press confirmed the cargo ship was transporting vehicles from the Volkswagen Group, which owns a number of luxury car brands like Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti and Volkswagen.
While the exact vehicle breakdown is unknown, there are at least 1100 Porsches on the vessel. According to The Drive, there are also 189 Bentley vehicles and hundreds of Audis. The total retail value of the Bentleys alone could exceed A$41.69 million.
While rescue operators don’t know how the fire began, Portuguese authorities were called in on Wednesday to assist the crew. The “highly skilled and physically demanding” operation ensured nobody was injured during the extraction and the crew have been taken to the nearby island of Faial.
Although it’s unknown how much of the ship’s cargo was destroyed in the fire, car companies have contacted US customers affected by the incident.
Reports from the New York Times state that dealers have notified customers who will be affected by the delays posed by the fire.
One Porsche customer and car enthusiast, Matt Farah said a representative from Porsche had apologised for the inconvenience,
“I’m glad no one was hurt in the fire and everyone is safe, which is the most important thing,” said Mr Farah. “I’m sure that whatever happens going forward, Porsche will do right by their customers.”
- News.com.au