It has been simply over per week for the reason that huge cargo ship Felicity Ace caught fireplace whereas absolutely loaded with new vehicles. Fortunately, the crew was evacuated safely however the ship belched black smoke for a number of days. Now, the smoke has stopped and salvage crews are on board, and preliminary experiences recommend it does not look good for the Volkswagen Group.
A report from Automotive Information claims the ship’s cargo consists of three,965 autos, all belonging to varied manufacturers underneath the VW umbrella. The report additionally features a assertion from Volkswagen through which the corporate fears a majority of the autos are broken past restore. Additional particulars aren’t out there, neither is it clear if any portion of the cargo space has been investigated. A Volkswagen spokesperson confirmed the accuracy of the assertion to Motor1.com.
Earlier experiences on the burning ship recognized quite a few high-end autos on board, together with a few of the final Lamborghini Aventadors with naturally aspirated, non-hybrid V12 powertrains. Talking of which, quite a few electrical autos are among the many cargo, and that made the hearth troublesome to battle in keeping with the Automotive Information article. At this level, there’s nonetheless no phrase on how the hearth began or if it is absolutely extinguished. Images present vital harm to the outside of the ship, however the February 25 replace from the Felicity Ace Incident Data Heart states the ship is secure with no oil leaks detected.
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When the hearth broke out, the Felicity Ace was situated roughly 90 nautical miles southwest of the Azores within the Atlantic Ocean. A big salvage vessel is presently towing the ship to a “secure space” close to the Azores. The ship is being escorted by two tug boats and one other massive salvage ship able to firefighting help if vital.
The ship was certain for the USA. Volkswagen Group dealerships have been notifying patrons with a pending car order of potential issues, although it is unclear how lengthy it’s going to take earlier than all the small print are sorted, and the true extent of the harm is understood.
