Burning cargo ship packed with hundreds of Porsches and Audis drifts in Atlantic
- Cargo ship carrying thousands of cars bound for the US caught fire on Wednesday
- The Volkswagen Group confirmed nearly 4,000 of its vehicles are on the ship
A burning car transport ship was drifting in the mid-Atlantic, carrying thousands of Volkswagen Group vehicles.
The 198-metre-long Felicity Ace was on its way from Germany to the US when it caught fire on Wednesday.
The Felicity Ace’s 22 crew members were taken to a local hotel by the Portuguese Navy and Air Force, who were deployed to help with the rescue effort, according to a statement from the Navy on Thursday. The ship itself was left unmanned and adrift near Portugal’s Azores Islands.
An internal email from Volkswagen’s US operations revealed there were 3,965 Volkswagen AG vehicles aboard the ship.
Headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, the group manufactures its Volkswagen brand, as well as Porsche, Audi, and Lamborghini- all of which were in tow when the vessel set ablaze, the email said.
Over 100 of those cars were headed for Port of Houston in Texas, with GTI, Golf R, and ID. 4 models deemed to be at risk, according to the email.