A burning cargo ship carrying Porsche, Volkswagen, Bentley is floating aimlessly in the Atlantic Ocean

The Portuguese navy said it rescued all 22 crew members on board a helicopter. Authorities described the rescue mission as “highly skilled and physically demanding”. Crew members have been moved to a hotel on Faial Island in the Azores, according to the foreign ministry News agency. No crew member was injured in the fire.

The ship was on fire until Friday, according to the Portuguese navy, and pictures showed white smoke billowing from the ship. Tell Joao Mendes Cabicas, captain of the nearby port of Hortas Reuters Lithium-ion batteries in electric cars on the Felicity ES caught fire, but it was not clear if this was the cause of the fire.

“The ship is burning from one end to the other,” Kabecas said. “Everything burns about five meters away [16 feet] above the water line.”

Angus Fitton, a spokesman for Porsche North America, told The Washington Post that the company is grateful that the Felicity Ice crew members were safe. He stressed that “a number of our cars are among the goods.”

“We are in contact with the shipping company, and details of the cars on board are now known,” Fitton said. “While it is still too early to confirm what happened and next steps, we – along with our colleagues at Porsche AG – are supporting our customers and dealers as best we can to find solutions. Anyone concerned about this accident and the implications for the vehicle they ordered should Contact their Porsche dealer.

It is still unclear how many of the thousands of luxury vehicles on board were lost in the fire, but they are likely to be worth millions of dollars. Felicity Ace can carry more than 18,700 tons of cargo.

Depending on the Porsche model, the average price for a German-made car can range from $101,000 to $174,000, according to US dealers. In addition to Porsches and Volkswagens, there were also 189 Bentleys on board, according to Drive. The latest Bentley model can cost between $166,000 and $348,000, according to car and driver.

A Volkswagen Group spokesman confirmed that the Felicity ES was transporting its cars to the United States, but declined to say how much the losses were.

“We are in contact with the shipping company to obtain more information about the incident,” spokesman Dirk Amir said.

Japanese shipping line Mitsui OSK Lines, which operates the Felicity Ace, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The cargo ship fire is the latest ongoing wrinkle Struggling supply chain that affected large and small American retailers since the beginning Corona Virus pandemic. The US Department of Agriculture recently Banning avocado imports From Mexico at a time when Americans were celebrating one of the two most avocado-focused events: the Super Bowl. (The other is Cinco de Mayo.)

Felicity Ace’s crew members issued a distress signal Wednesday morning after a fire was reported on one of the cargo decks. Shortly thereafter, the ship was classified as “NUC” — not under command — and crew members were quickly evacuated, according to ship-tracking database FleetMon.

“Welp, some people just didn’t get their long-awaited Porsches and anything else that was on that boat,” wrote writer and photographer Zerrin Dube.

On the same day, Porsche acknowledged the Felicity Ace fire in notifications sent to customers to track the condition of their cars.

“We ask you to be patient while we work hard to get the Porsche of your dreams to you as quickly as possible,” the company wrote.

Portuguese authorities said a Portuguese navy ship is monitoring the Felicity Ice to see if the cargo ship is sinking or causing pollution. A Navy spokesperson told the Associated Press that the ship was unlikely to be towed to a port in the Azores due to its sheer size.

Matt Farah, car enthusiast and editor at smoking pictures, a customer who thinks his car is stuck in the sea. Farah tweeted that he had been waiting since the August 2022 Boxster Spyder that had been modified to its specifications. the car that was announce As the “best sports car ever,” the retail price is around $123,000.

But when he received the call from his dealer, he was disappointed and stunned.

“My car is now floating aimlessly, probably on fire, in the middle of the ocean,” said Wrote.

While he’s not sure if his car survived the fire, Farah said it’s possible the car will need to be rebuilt.

“Odds are it’s a new build and I hope you don’t have to wait another 8 months,” he said chirp.