Ship packed with supercars worth millions including Bentleys and Porsches catches fire
dailystar.co.uksupercars caught fire while on route from Germany to the US. Felicity Ace, the 198.12 metre vessel, is still floating off the coast of Azores in Portugal after its 22-member crew were rescued from the blaze.The cargo ship had been transporting vehicles from the Volkswagen Group, the company that owns a number of luxury car brands including Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, Volkswagen, Bugatti and Bentley.The exact number of vehicles onboard is currently unknown, but a reported 1100 Porsches were on board, along with 189 Bentley's and hundreds of Audi's.According to The Drive, the Bentley vehicles alone could exceed £30million.Rescue operators are unsure as to how the fire started, with Portugese authorities called in to assist the crew in a "highly skilled and demanding" operation that ensured nobody was injured during extraction.The crew have been taken to the nearby island of Faial and it is unknown how much damage has been done to the ship's cargo.Reports say that the dealers have reached out to the US customers and notified them of delays to their orders which may have been destroyed in the fire.Matt Farah, a Porsche customer and car enthusiast, said the company had reached out to him.He said: "I'm glad no one was hurt in the fire and everyone is safe, which is the most important thing.
I'm sure that whatever happens going forward, Porsche will do right by their customers."news.au.com reported that car supplies in Australia had been rocked by the coronavirus pandemic, as there was now a decreased demand for road vehicles.
But a sudden uptick in demand has coincided with shipping delays, restrictions at international ports and borders and supply chain disruptions, as well as a global shortage of semiconductors..
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