VW fears huge loss of cars from cargo ship fire

Volkswagen Team suggests the several of the 4,000 cars and trucks from its a number of makes aboard the Felicity Ace are a whole reduction because of a fire on board that compelled the crew to abandon the container ship in the Atlantic Ocean final week.

“We concern that the fireplace on the ship has weakened a big selection of the nearly 4,000 Team-brand name vehicles to this sort of an extent that they can no for a longer time be delivered to clients,” the company claimed in release sent to Automotive Information Europe Friday. “More specific information and facts is not nonetheless offered.”

The ship was carrying 3,965 automobiles from the VW, Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley brands destined for the U.S. marketplace.

The hearth could cost VW Team $155 million, in accordance to one particular consultant’s estimate

VW Team models and dealers have currently begun informing their buyers to locate answers. The destruction to the vehicles is covered by insurance coverage, VW explained.

The Panama-registered Felicity Ace caught fire on February 16 and was documented adrift far more than 1,000 miles off the coastline of Portugal. The 22 crew users on board were evacuated the exact same day.

Tough seas and the fireplace delayed the salvage operation, even though weighty tugboats sprayed drinking water to awesome the vessel,

Some of the Volkswagen Team automobiles on board have been electrical. Their lithium-ion batteries produced the fireplace incredibly difficult to extinguish, port officers experienced stated.

By February 21, the fireplace died down on a ship, as it ran out of issues to melt away. A salvage team was then in a position to board the vessel.

Of the around $438 million overall price of goods aboard the Felicity Ace, Russell Team estimated there are $401 million value of cars and trucks, Bloomberg reported this week.

“Volkswagen is quite relieved that, according to experiences from the ship-possessing organization, no men and women were harmed in the fireplace and no oil spills ended up noticed,” the company’s assertion mentioned. “The ship-possessing enterprise currently stories that there is no extra smoke noticeable on the ship, a salvage workforce has now boarded the ship and tugs are towing the ship away.”

At least eight big incidents involving big boats and destroyed vehicles have happened considering that 2002.

In 2019, the Grande The usa destined for Brazil sank with 37 Porsches aboard, which includes four scarce, very tailored 911 GT2 RS (average prices today: $366,487, nevertheless specialised kinds can method $800,000).