Luxury cars sink in the middle of the Atlantic

More than $150 million in luxury automobiles sank on a route from Germany to the United States. According to the Portuguese military and the ship’s manager, the incident happened 13 days after a fire on board.

The ship was dubbed Felicity Ace, and the cars lost included Porsches, Lamborghinis, and Bentleys, among others. According to experts, insurance will cover the damages, which probably exceed $155 million.

The fire had already been put out by a rescue team and the ship was being towed away. Things went wrong about 250 miles from the Azores islands in Portugal

The proportion of the luxury cars sinking

The ship was 200 meters wide and could hold 4,000 luxury cars, though it is unknown how many were on board at the time. The ship sank as it was being towed away, according to maritime officials in the nearby ports, due to structural damage caused by the fire.

The Portuguese navy confirmed the sinking, which stated that it occurred outside of Portuguese waters at a depth of around 30,000 feet. When the fire first broke out, a Portuguese Air Force chopper rescued the ship’s 22 crew members, leaving the ship adrift.

To protect their businesses, European luxury carmakers have failed to provide many details about the accident. Porsche buyers in the United States are already receiving bits and pieces of information from their dealership.

The ship housed both electric and non-electric vehicles. Suspicions about the start of the fire lie with the lithium batteries in the electric cars, although there is no certainty.

Authorities from the Portuguese Air Force and Navy are already examining potential environmental repercussions; the greatest concern is that the fuel tank sustains enough damage to pollute the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, luxury car manufacturers have announced plans to build new vehicles.