THE ro-ro vessel Felicity Ace burns in the Atlantic off the Azores a week after it caught fire.
A fire broke out on the Panama-flagged vessel on 16 February, about 90 nautical miles south-west of the Azores. It was en route to the US from Germany with a cargo of cars.
All 22 crewmembers were evacuated and MOL Shipmanagement Singapore, as the manager of the vessel, said it was “continuing to make every effort to contain the damage and resolve the situation”. The vessel is owned by Snowscape Car Carriers, which is a subsidiary of MOL.
According to media reports, the cargo comprises about 4000 vehicles – Lamborghinis, Porsches and other cars made by Volkswagen.
Reuters reports that some of the vehicles are electric with lithium-ion batteries, which are extremely difficult to extinguish when on fire.
A statement from MOL yesterday said there is no oil leakage confirmed and the vessel remains stable.
The Portuguese Navy said one of its ocean patrol vessels is on the scene monitoring the area and the stability of the ship. The navy plans to deploy a team of experts to the ship on 24 February to analyse the ship’s condition for towing.
MOL said two salvage craft with additional firefighting and towing capability are en route to Felicity Ace. They are due to arrive on 23 February and 26 February.
