Felicity Ace Ship Continues Burning With 3,965 Cars From Porsche, Bentley, Audi, and Lamborghini, Causing Billion-Dollar Losses For Vehicle Manufacturer Volkswagen; Lithium-Ion Batteries Complicate Rescue Efforts

The Burning of Volkswagen Electric Vehicle Batteries Complicates Efforts to Fight the Fire on the Drifting Ship Felicity Ace in the Atlantic Ocean

The latest photos published by the Portuguese Navy of Felicity Ace show the cargo ship still burning near the Azores Islands, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, after a fire on the main deck that has been uncontrollable for almost five days, with nearly 4,000 cars on board, from various brands of the Volkswagen Group, including 1,100 Porsche models, 189 Bentley units, and an undetermined number of Audi and even Lamborghini cars from the Volkswagen Group.

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Its crew is safe, but the ship is still drifting near the Azores. The lithium-ion batteries of the Volkswagen electric cars are preventing the fire from being extinguished.

Watch Below the Video of the Rescue of the Crew Aboard the Burning Ship Felicity Ace

The Dutch company contracted to rescue the ship, SMIT Salvage, assures the Wall Street Journal that the presence of a large number of batteries is complicating the efforts, as the fire spreads quickly and cannot be extinguished with water alone.

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Pouring Water on Decomposing Lithium May Favor the Spread of the Fire on the Ship

Pouring water on decomposing lithium may favor a more violent combustion, promoting oxidation. Additionally, there is a danger that the substance making up the batteries may leak, contaminating the waters.

“The cars are electric, and part of the fire comes from batteries that are still connected,” a company spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.

The fire on the 60,000-ton ship is still active, although “diminished in intensity,” says João Manuel Mendes Cabeças, the captain of the closest port to Faial Island, in the Azores.

If the fire is extinguished and the ship remains in a condition to be moved, it may be towed to the Bahamas or a port in Europe to assess the damage caused by the flames. But as long as the electric cars of the Volkswagen Group, whose batteries are catching fire, cannot be isolated, the flames will continue to spread on the vessel.

It is Unknown Whether the Ship’s Cargo, Composed of 3,965 Vehicles from Porsche, Bentley, Audi, Lamborghini, and Volkswagen, Was Affected by the Fire

At this time, it is unknown whether the ship’s cargo, composed of 3,965 vehicles from various brands of the Volkswagen Group, was affected by the fire.

Meanwhile, spokespeople for the Volkswagen Group brands have avoided providing details about the models on board, but the fact that most are equipped with batteries may mean that there are many Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron, and Volkswagen I.3 and ID.4 on board (among others).

The Felicity Ace, flying the Panamanian flag, chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd., traveled from the German port of Emden, where Volkswagen has a factory, to the American port of Davisville, south of Boston. The ship, which departed Emden on February 10, was scheduled to arrive at Davisville, Rhode Island, on Tuesday, February 22, but is still drifting about 90 miles southwest of Faial Island (Azores).