A massive cargo ship carrying cars from Germany to the United States sank nearly two weeks after a fire on board the vessel.
The Felicity Ace sank approximately 250 miles off the coast of Portugal’s Azores Islands as it was being towed, and as it sank there was a small oil slick visible in the water, MOL Ship Management in Singapore said in a statement.
The Felicity Ace, a 656-foot cargo ship, caught fire on Feb. 16 forcing the crew to evacuate, as we previously reported. Removing the crew left the boat drifting in the Atlantic Ocean until it could be towed.
A salvage team put out the fire before beginning to tow the ship using tugboats with firefighting equipment, The Associated Press reported.
On board the ship at the time it sank were about 4,000 cars, which included more than 1,000 Porsches and 200 Bentleys, The New York Times reported.
A spokesperson for Porsche Cars North America Inc., Angus Fitton, told The New York Times he was relieved the ship’s crew was “safe and well” and that the company was “supporting our customers as best we can.”
The Portuguese Navy told The Washington Post that European environmental groups and government agencies are monitoring the area where the ship sank, because it is home to coral reefs, tuna, sharks and dolphins, prompting concerns about pollution from the cars on board the now-sunken ship. The Felicity Ace was carrying 2,200 tons of fuel and 2,200 tons of oil, The Associated Press reported.
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