UPDATE, March 2: Weeks after catching fire in the Atlantic Ocean, stricken car carrier Felicity Ace has sunk.
MOL Ship Management confirmed the vessel went under around 9am local time, after taking on water and developing a severe list off the Azores.
The ship had reportedly been boarded by salvage crews in recent days, who left when weather conditions became dangerous.
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February 22: New reports have revealed that models from Lamborghini, Bentley and Audi are also onboard Felicity Ace along with the fleet of Porsches which have more than likely been destroyed by the blaze.
According to Bloomberg, an internal email in Volkswagen’s US division said there were 3,965 of their vehicles on board, consisting of all the makes mentioned above.
The revelation now brings the estimated total of vehicles destroyed to US$401 million, with the Russell Group assuming all vehicles are lost.
The fire is now believed to be burning out, with João Mendes Cabeças, captain of the nearest port in the Azorean island of Faial saying, “the fire has subsided in recent hours.”
All 22 crew were safely evacuated, with the cause of the fire still unknown.
A Portuguese naval helicopter collects the Felicity Ace’s crew from the Resilient Warrior
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February 17: A car carrier laden with what are believed to be Porsches has caught fire en-route to the US, with a shipment of 911s, Taycans, and other Volkswagen AG vehicles reportedly aboard.
Associated Press reports Felicity Ace caught fire near the Azores Islands on February 16, whilst sailing from Emden, Germany, to the port of Davisville in Rhode Island.
A distress signal was sent from the 200-metre vessel after a fire broke out on a cargo deck. All 22 crew members were safely rescued, with at least 11 being picked up by the Portuguese Navy on nearby Greek tanker Resilient Warrior. The abandoned ship is now drifting eastward.
The Felicity Ace burns, as seen from the deck of the Resilient Warrior
The exact number and makeup of cars aboard Felicity Ace has not not yet been confirmed, though Porsche and other Volkswagen Group vehicles are believed to make up the majority. At full capacity, the ship can carry up to 4000 cars.
Discussion among Porsche owners on Twitter has suggested a number of 911s were onboard, potentially including the soon-to-arrive 992 GT3 Touring model. Smoking Tire’s Matt Farah confirmed his own 4.5-litre Boxster Spyder was one of those affected. Porsche forum posts indicate Taycan EVs were also being shipped on Felicity Ace.
A pop-up notification has been added to the Porsche Track Your Dream service, reading in part that “certain specific vehicle configurations are being temporarily impacted by supply chain issues.”
The statement continues by saying the marque is “aware of an incident aboard the Felicity Ace, a specialized [sic] cargo ship carrying certain Porsche vehicles.”
Porsche has also posted a public statement, which reads:
“Our immediate thoughts are with the 22 crew of the merchant ship ‘Felicity Ace’, all of whom we understand are safe and well as a result of their rescue by the Portuguese Navy following reports of a fire on board.
“We believe a number of our cars are among the cargo on board the ship. No further details of the specific cars affected are available at this time – we are in close contact with the shipping company and will share more information in due course.
“Anyone concerned by the implications of this incident on a car they’ve ordered should maintain contact with the dealer with which their order was placed. As more information becomes available, our dealers will contact every customer affected to discuss next steps.”
It is understood no cars destined for Australia were onboard.
Porsche faced a near-identical disaster in 2019, when a ship carrying four 911 GT2 RSs and 33 other Porsches caught fire and sank. In response, Porsche remanufactured the limited-edition RSs, despite production having ended.
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