Car Carrier Full of VWs, Porsches Burning “End to End,” Cargo Likely Lost

This story has been updated with new developments.

The Felicity Ace, a car carrier loaded with new Volkswagens and Porsches has caught fire and is adrift in the Atlantic Ocean.

The ship’s 22 crew members were forced to abandon the cargo carrier as flames spread, according to maritime officials. Rescue efforts have begun, according to wire reports and statements from the Portugese Navy.

The Felicity Ace was en route from Emden, where Volkswagen has a major assembly plant, to a port in Davisville, Rhode Island, according to Marine Traffic, a website that track maritime shipping. Volkswagen’s all-electric ID.4 SUV is among the vehicles produced at the Emden plant.

Thousands of vehicles may be lost

The Felicity Ace is carrying a mix of Volkswagen Group vehicles, including VW models such as the ID.4, Porsches, Lamborghinis and 189 Bentleys. It was bound for several ports serving the U.S. market. Automotive News quoted economist Patrick Anderson as estimating the cargo to be worth “at least $255 million.”

Among those impacted by the fire is television and podcast host Matt Farah who was waiting for the delivery of a Porsche Boxster.

“The dealer confirmed that my car, along with at least a dozen other vehicles they were expecting, is on that boat,” Farah told CNN. Farah said he has waited eight months for his Boxster to be delivered

“They had no further information for me beyond confirming my car was on the boat,” added Farah, “and said that as soon as Porsche Cars North America has a plan of any kind with how to proceed, that they would share the plans with me.”

Fire continues to burn

But the effort is being hampered by the nature of the fire. There are numerous electric vehicles on board the the 656-foot roll-on/roll-off carrier and Captain Joao Mendes Cabeças said their lithium-ion batteries have ignited and will need to be taken to a port where special equipment is available to extinguish them.

It remains unclear how the fire began. It is uncertain whether it was touched off by a battery fire or if the fire led to the lithium-ion cells igniting.

“The ship is burning from one end to the other… everything is on fire about five meters above the water line,” Captain Cabeças said during a meeting with reporters.

The Portugese Navy was the first to respond to an emergency call, the Felicity Ace catching fire off the coast of the Azores. Several tow vessel have been dispatched but are not expected to arrive until the middle of next week. It remains unclear where the ship will be taken. The Azores cannot handle it and that could require the carrier to be towed as far as the Bahamas, Reuters reported.

All of the crew have been accounted for and rescued and none were reported to have been injured.

It is unclear what caused the fire, but the ship’s owners have announced plans to begin towing the vessel, even as the fire continues to burn. The Felicity Ace is operated by Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, but is owned by Snowscape Car Carriers SA, and registered out of Panama.

The latest car carrier disaster

With a capacity of 17,000 tons of cargo, the Felicity Ace was making 13.2 knots when the fire broke out.

VW officials say they are “in contact” with Mitsui hoping to get more information about the incident.

This is the latest incident involving a major car carrier. In August 2019, the Golden Ray capsized while loaded with 4,100 newly made vehicles onboard. The wreck is still being cleared from the waters just off the Georgia coast.