A ship loaded with luxury cars is currently adrift in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, some 1,700 kilometres northwest of the Canary Islands. The Felicity Ace was carrying Porsche or Volkswagen brands, but suffered a fire that forced the Portuguese Maritime Rescue authorities to evacuate its crew.
The ship, a 200-meter-long car carrier, was travelling between the German town of Emden to Davisville, and the US state of Rhode Island, when a fire began to spread through its holds while passing the Azores on Wednesday. On board were 22 crew members who were evacuated in an operation which included the patrol boat Setúbal and four merchant ships that were in the vicinity, as reported by the Portuguese Navy.
The vice president of Porsche Cars North America, Angus Fitton, has confirmed to US news outlet CNN that part of the load of the Felicity Ace was made up of vehicles from the German company. “Although it is still too early to confirm what has happened and take further steps, together with our colleagues at Porsche AG we are supporting our customers and dealers in the best possible way to find solutions.”
Some clients also corroborated the situation to the American television network. “My dealer has confirmed that my car, along with at least a dozen others that they were waiting to receive, is on board the ship,” Matt Farah told journalists, who had expected to receive a Porsche Boxster Spyder.
The Felicity Ace, which has a Panamanian flag and can transport more than 17,000 metric tons of merchandise, is operated by the Japanese shipping company MOL and has been sailing since 2005.
She is currently adrift in international waters
