The fire goes out on a ship carrying a luxury car with little room to burn

Lisbon-Fires that hit thousands of cargo ships Volkswagen Group Vehicles and drifting objects off the coast of the Azores in Portugal have lost their strength, probably because there is little left to burn, port officials said.

Felicity Ace is equipped with approximately 4,000 vehicles, including VW, Porsche, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini, some with lithium-ion batteries. A fire lit in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday.

On the same day, 22 crew members were evacuated.

“The fire has subsided in the last few hours,” Joan Mendes Cabesas, captain of the nearest port on Faial Island’s Azorian Island, told Lusa News Agency.

Cavesus told Reuters over the weekend that EV lithium-ion batteries “keep the fire alive,” adding that specialized equipment is needed to extinguish the fire. It was not clear if the battery ignited.

He also said the fire was spreading near the ship’s fuel tank.

“Our concern was pollution because the ship is loaded with a lot of fuel and car batteries, but so far there is no hotbed of pollution,” Cabeças told Lusa.

As the intensity of the fire diminishes, fire teams and technicians may be able to board the ship and prepare for towing to Europe or the Bahamas, Cabesas said.

Bloomberg quoted an internal VW email and reported on Friday that 3,965 cars were on board. A spokesman for the car brand said it had about 1,100 Porsche and 189 Bentleys on board. Another Volkswagen brand, Audi, confirmed that some of its vehicles were also on board, but did not mention some.

VW did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the next steps to determine the cause of the fire.

US economist Patrick Anderson estimated his initial loss to be $ 255 million last week, but by Friday his calculations had reached $ 182 million.

“If you look at the overall freight, three-quarters of the vehicle is a total loss, and if you average the wholesale price at a lower price (considering some Bentley and many Audis in addition to VW), this You can see that it contains about $ 376,675,000. The value of the cargo. Perhaps three-quarters, or $ 282,506,250, if the ship is still actually burning (reported and has video evidence). ), Total loss.

“Once again, the extent of cargo damage from inspection cannot be adequately assessed, but fire, water, smoke and submersion damage all overlap the potential of these vehicles.

“These amounts do not include downstream losses at the dealership, and to rescue, environment, or other costs, the ship itself, the lost wages of the crew, or the Portuguese who rescued them. Does not include the cost of. “

This is not the first time a manufacturer has lost a product at sea. When Grande America sank in a fire in 2019, more than 2,000 luxury cars, including Audi and Porsche, sank.

A Lamborghini U.S. business spokesman declined to comment on the number of vehicles the company had and the models affected, but said it was in contact with the shipping company for more information on the incident. ..

Felicity Ace is approximately the size of three football fields.

Automotive News Reuters, Bloomberg and Philippe Nussel contributed to this report.

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