The Portuguese navy said it rescued all 22 crew members via helicopter. Authorities described the rescue mission as “highly skilled and physically demanding.” The crew members were taken to a hotel on Faial island in the Azores, a Portuguese island territory, according to the Associated Press. None of the crew members were injured in the fire.
The fire was still burning on the ship as of Friday, according to the Portuguese navy, and photos show white smoke billowing out of the vessel. Joao Mendes Cabecas, a captain of the nearby port of Hortas, told Reuters that lithium-ion batteries in the electric cars on the Felicity Ace have caught fire, but it’s unclear whether that is what started the fire.
“The ship is burning from one end to the other,” Cabecas said. “Everything is on fire about five meters [16 feet] above the water line.”
Angus Fitton, a spokesman with Porsche North America, told The Washington Post that the company was thankful that the Felicity Ace crew members are safe. He confirmed that “a number of our cars are among the cargo.”
“We are in contact with the shipping company, and the details of the cars on board are now known,” Fitton said. “While it remains too early to confirm what occurred and next steps, we are — along with our colleagues at Porsche AG — supporting our customers and our dealers as best we can to find solutions. Anyone concerned by this incident and the implications on the car they’ve ordered should contact their Porsche dealer.”
It remains unclear how many of the thousands of luxury vehicles onboard were lost in the blaze, but it’s likely millions of dollars worth. The Felicity Ace can carry more than 18,700 tons of cargo at a time.
Depending on the model of the Porsche, the average price for the German-made vehicle can range from $101,000 to $174,000, according to U.S. dealers. In addition to the Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles, there were also 189 Bentleys, the Drive reported. Newer model Bentleys can cost between $166,000 and $348,000, according to Car and Driver.
A spokesman for the Volkswagen Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The company confirmed to the AP that the Felicity Ace was transporting its vehicles to the United States but declined to elaborate on the extent of the losses.
“We are in contact with the shipping company to get more information about the incident,” Dirk Ameer, a Volkswagen spokesperson, told CNN.
The Japanese shipping line Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, which operates the Felicity Ace, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The cargo ship fire is the latest wrinkle in the ongoing supply chain struggles that have impacted U.S. retailers since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Disruptions in supply constraints have affected small businesses and mega corporations in recent months due to worker shortages fueled by the omicron variant. The U.S. Agriculture Department recently suspended imports of avocados from Mexico at a time when Americans celebrate one of their two most avocado-centric events: the Super Bowl. (The other is Cinco de Mayo.)
Crew members issued a distress signal Wednesday morning after a blaze was reported on one of the cargo decks. Soon thereafter, the ship was designated as “NUC” — not under command — and the crew members were swiftly evacuated, according to FleetMon, a ship-tracking database.
“Welp, some folks aren’t getting their long-awaited Porsches and whatever else was on this boat,” wrote writer and photographer Zerin Dube.
That same day, Porsche acknowledged the Felicity Ace fire in notices sent to customers tracking the status of their cars.
“We kindly ask for your patience while we work diligently on getting the Porsche of your dreams to you as quickly as possible,” the company wrote.
A Portuguese navy ship is monitoring the Felicity Ace to see whether the cargo ship is sinking or causing pollution, authorities said. A navy spokesperson told the AP that it’s unlikely the ship will be towed to a port in the Azores because of its massive size.
Matt Farah, a car enthusiast and editor of the Smoking Tire, is one of the customers who believes his vehicle is stuck at sea. Farah tweeted how he had been waiting for a 2022 Boxster Spyder since August that was modified to his specifications. The vehicle, which he declared as “the best sports car of all time, hands down,” has a retail price of about $123,000.
But when he got the call from his dealer, he was left disappointed and stunned.
“My car is now adrift, possibly on fire, in the middle of the ocean,” he wrote.
While he’s not sure if his car survived the fire, Farah said it’s likely the vehicle that’s floating on a ship in the middle of an ocean will need to be rebuilt.
“Odds are a new build and hopefully not another 8 months wait for it,” he tweeted.
