Advertisement

Burned-out ship carrying millions worth of luxury cars sinks near Portugal

In this undated photo provided by the Portuguese Navy, smoke billows from the burning Felicity Ace car transport ship as seen from the Portuguese Navy NPR Setubal ship southeast of the mid-Atlantic Portuguese Azores Islands. Courtesy / Portugese Navy

A burnt-out cargo ship carrying thousands of luxury cars, including Porsches and Bentleys, sank on Tuesday off the Portuguese Azores archipelago nearly two weeks after it caught fire, a port official said.

Joao Mendes Cabecas, the captain of the nearest port on the island of Faial, told Reuters the Panama-flagged Felicity Ace had sunk as efforts to tow it began due to structural problems caused by the fire and rough seas.

The Felicity Ace continues to burn.
The blaze on the ship carrying around 4,000 vehicles made by Volkswagen Group from Germany to the United States, broke out on Feb. 16. The 22 crew members were evacuated on the same day. Courtesy / Portugese Navy

“When the towing started… water started to come in,” he said. “The ship lost its stability and sank.”

Story continues below advertisement

The blaze on the ship carrying around 4,000 vehicles made by Volkswagen Group from Germany to the United States, broke out on Feb. 16. The 22 crew members were evacuated on the same day.

Cabecas said no oil leak had been reported so far but there were fears the fuel tanks could be damaged as the vessel lay at the bottom of the Atlantic at a depth of around 3,500 metres.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Volkswagen, which said last week the damage to the vehicles was covered by insurance, confirmed the ship has sunk. Insurance experts said the incident could result in losses of $155 million.

Click to play video: 'Abandoned cargo ship filled with luxury cars still burning in Atlantic Ocean'
Abandoned cargo ship filled with luxury cars still burning in Atlantic Ocean

Sponsored content

AdChoices