‘Burning & Unmanned’: Cargo ship, with Porsches, Audis aboard left adrift in Atlantic Ocean

New Delhi: A cargo ship, carrying luxury cars was left unmanned and adrift in the Atlantic Ocean after it caught fire on Thursday, the AP reported.

Twenty-two crew members onboard the 200-meter-long (650-feet-long) Felicity Ace were evacuated by the Portuguese Navy and Air Force and the cargo ship was left adrift. According to media reports, there were over 3,900 luxury cars, including Audi, Porsche, aboard the cargo ship and the unfortunate incident is likely to affect the car dealers as well as customers since the merchandise is at risk of being lost at sea.

Following the incident, authorities warned against fishing activity in the area. The ship was sailing from Emden in Germany to the port of Davisville in the US state of Rhode Island, according to online vessel trackers.

A Portuguese navy ship was on its way to check whether the fire in the hold was still burning and whether the cargo ship was in danger of sinking or causing pollution, Portuguese navy spokesman Cmdr. José Sousa Luís told The Associated Press.

The ship’s owner is seeking an ocean-going tug, but the Felicity Ace is unlikely to be towed to a port in Portugal’s Azores Islands because of its size, he said.

 

With AP inputs