By The cargo ship named the Felicity Ace was conveying around 4,000 vehicles, including Bentleys and Porsches, when it burst into flames on February 16. According to recent updates, on Tuesday morning, it has been sunk in the Atlantic Ocean.
Fourteen days after bursting into flames, a huge ship that was moving a large number of extravagant vehicles sank on Tuesday morning around 253 miles off the Azores, as indicated by the organization that dealt with the vessel.
The Felicity Ace went down at around 9 a.m. according to local time after shifting starboard, plunging around 4,000 vehicles carrying around 1,000 Porsches and 200 Bentleys, as indicated by the organization, MOL Ship Management.
Ecological environmental specialists had been profoundly worried that after the sinking of the ship what contamination it would cause in the natural ecosystem of the Azores, the Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic, where the seabed is covered with coral reefs, coral forests and sponges.
The seabed is home to sperm whales, blue whales, humpback whales, dolphins and sharks, among different species, as directed by the environmental group the Oceana.
Furthermore, as per Oceana, an enormous ship like the Felicity Ace can hold 3 million litres of fuel, as well as oil. Different kinds of other pollutants in a boat incorporate electrical wires, paint and plastics.
A fire broke out in the boat’s freight hold six days after it withdrew from Emden, Germany, for the port of Davisville in Rhode Island. MOL Ship Management has not stated how or why the fire began.
Close by commercial ships and a helicopter protected the boat’s 22 team individuals. Nobody was harmed during the rescue operation. Yet, the Felicity Ace, which is 650 feet in length, stayed burning and surged smoke, uncontrolled off the shore of Western Europe.
There were a few endeavours to stifle the fire and evaluate the harm to the vessel.
The Portuguese Navy said on Friday that a group of specialists had shown up by helicopter the other day. MOL Ship Management said that a huge rescue towboat had begun towing the Felicity Ace to “a safe area” of the Azores.
“The ship, apparently stable, has no fires on the outside or inside, although there is a high temperature in the central area, with no smoke in its structure,” the Navy further stated at that point.
However, Tuesday morning, as the boat was being towed, it “lost stability and sank,” as per the Portuguese Navy.
” A small patch of oily residue ” was visible and was being scattered by the water planes of the towing boats, the Navy said. The region was being observed by Portuguese and European environmental authorities, the Navy stated.
Angus Fitton, a representative for Porsche Cars North America Inc., stated it brings relief that the individuals from Felicity Ace’s team were “safe and well” and stated the organization was ” supporting our customers as best we can.”
He further stated, “We are already working to replace every car affected,” he said, “and the cars will be built soon.”
One of the Porsches on board had been booked by Matt Farah, a vehicle fan and the editor of The Smoking Tire.
He had been sitting tight for the vehicle, a 2022 metallic Boxster Spyder with a retail cost of about $123,000, since August.
