The Portuguese Navy announced that a cargo ship carrying thousands of luxury vehicles from the Volswagen group, which caught fire about two weeks ago off the Azores archipelago, crashed on Tuesday morning. “The merchant ship “Felicity Ice” sank” to me “Approximately 25 nautical miles (about 46 km) from the Portuguese Exclusive Economic ZoneThe Navy said in a statement.
cargo ship sinkinglost its stability“, during the towing operation, which began on February 24, in an area with a depth of about 3,000 meters. The Panamanian-flagged “Felicity Ice” was found adrift for a few days off the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, after a fire broke out on board the ship in Feb 16.
The ship, which had left Germany and was due to rejoin the United States, was 90 nautical miles (about 170 kilometers) southwest of Faial Island when the alert was issued. The 22 crew members of this cargo ship, which was carrying cars of the Audi and Porsche brands, according to local media, were quickly rescued. They were initially evacuated on an oil tanker that was immediately diverted to participate in rescue operations, before being transported to Faial Island by military helicopter.
In the days that followed, fires continued to spread aboard this nearly 200-meter-long ship. Lithium batteries were the cause of the disaster, according to several media outlets, but the information was not confirmed. In the place of the shipwreck, it is possible to see “Debris and oily residuesThe Portuguese Navy said, “which is under surveillance, adding that marine divers, specially equipped with anti-pollution barriers, should go to the site.
