A cargo ship carrying around 4,000 luxury cars, including Porsches and Bentleys, has sunk off the Portuguese Azores archipelago nearly two weeks after it caught fire. The vessel, named Felicity Ace, was en route from the German port of Emden to Rhode Island in the United States when the blaze broke out on February 16.
All 22 crew members were evacuated safely, with no injuries reported. The evacuation was carried out by the Portuguese navy, four merchant ships, and the Portuguese Air Force. The crew were taken to a hotel after the operation.
Joao Mendes Cabecas, captain of the nearest port on the island of Faial, told Reuters that no oil leak has been reported so far, but there are concerns the fuel tanks could be damaged while the vessel lies at the bottom of the Atlantic at a depth of around 3,500 metres (2.17 miles).
Volkswagen, which owns the brands onboard, stated that the damage to the vehicles is covered by insurance. The cost could be around $155 million (£116 million), according to Reuters. Bentley confirmed 189 of its cars were on the ship, while Porsche said it had about 1,100 of its models onboard.
One customer took to Twitter to express that his Porsche was on the abandoned ship. The incident has raised concerns about the environmental impact and the loss of valuable cargo.
