The fire aboard the merchant ship Felicity Acewhich was to deliver nearly 4,000 Volkswagen Group vehicles to the United States and which is still 170 km off the Azores (Portugal), is now under control according to the company that owns the boat and the local maritime authorities, although unfavorable weather and high tides delayed further operations.
The good news is that the worst has been avoided from an environmental point of view and no oil leaks have been reported. The bad news is that there might not be much left inside to burn.
With the help of the Portuguese air force, the teams will attempt to access it when the conditions are safe in order to assess the condition of the ship and prepare its towing – either to the Bahamas or back to Europe. A huge hole with a height of four stories was reportedly discovered in one place.
The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time. The lithium-ion batteries of the many electric vehicles transported by the Felicity Ace complicated the work of firefighters, who had to wait to obtain specialized equipment to bring the blaze under control.
Photo: Sawyer Merritt/Twitter
A heavy bill to predict
Some 1,100 Porsche and 189 Bentley models are on board, as confirmed by spokespersons for both brands. There are also a large number of Volkswagens (Golf GTI, Golf R, Arteon, ID.4), Audi and Lamborghini.
The boss of Lamborghini in the United States, Andrea Baldi, clarified to Automotive News that dozens of Urus, Huracan and Aventador are part of the lot. The career of the Aventador recently ended, remember, but the company may have to restart production to complete the orders lost in the fire.
According to the firm Russel Group, which specializes in risk and damage assessment, which bases its calculations on the scenario of a total loss, the vehicles of the Felicity Ace could be worth a total of US$401 million. Volkswagen would be the most affected, with an estimated loss of US$155 million.