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A cargo ship carrying thousands of vehicles including 1,100 Porsches was on fire and drifting off the coast of the Azores after its 22 crew members were rescued.
The fire broke out in the cargo hold of the Felicity Ace, which departed from, Germany, and was scheduled to arrive in R.I.. The ship was about 200 miles from the Azores Portuguese island territory, when Portuguese forces evacuated the crew.
A helicopter whisked the crew members to the nearby Portuguese island of Faial, as it was unclear how much of the 650-foot, 60,000-ton cargo ship’s inventory was lost in the fire. It has been reported that Volkswagen estimated nearly 4,000 vehicles were on board, including 189 Bentleys!
In a statement, a spokeswoman for Porsche Cars North America said that 1,100 of the company’s cars were on board but that the fate of the vehicles was unknown.
“Our immediate thoughts are of relief that the 22 crew members of the merchant ship Felicity Ace are safe and well,” the statement said.