LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A big shipment vessel sporting automobiles from Germany to america sank Tuesday within the mid-Atlantic, 13 days after a fireplace broke out on board, the send’s supervisor and the Portuguese army mentioned.
The Felicity Ace sank about 400 kilometers (250 miles) off Portugal’s Azores Islands because it was once being towed, MOL Send Control in Singapore mentioned in a remark. A salvage staff had put out the hearth.
The 200-meter-long (650-foot-long) vessel indexed to starboard ahead of going below, the send’s supervisor mentioned.
The Portuguese army showed the sinking, announcing it came about outdoor Portuguese waters. A Portuguese Air Power helicopter evacuated the 22 team individuals when the hearth first broke out, environment the send adrift.
Ocean-going tugboats with firefighting apparatus were hosing down the send’s hull to chill it. It wasn’t transparent what number of automobiles had been onboard the send, however vessels of the Felicity Ace’s dimension can elevate no less than 4,000 cars.
Eu carmakers declined to speak about what number of cars and what fashions had been on board, however Porsche shoppers in america had been being contacted by way of their sellers, the corporate mentioned.
“We’re already operating to exchange each automotive suffering from this incident and the primary new automobiles can be constructed quickly,” Angus Fitton, vice chairman of PR at Porsche Vehicles North The usa, Inc., informed The Related Press in an e-mail.
The send was once transporting electrical and non-electric cars, in line with Portuguese government. Suspicion on what began the hearth on Feb. 16 has fallen on lithium batteries utilized in electrical cars, despite the fact that government say they have got no company proof concerning the purpose.
Government feared the send may pollute the sea. The send was once sporting 2,000 metric heaps (2,200 heaps) of gasoline and a couple of,000 metric heaps (2,200 heaps) of oil. It will probably elevate greater than 17,000 metric heaps (18,700 heaps) of shipment.
The Portuguese army mentioned in a remark that just a few items of wreckage and a small patch of oil was once visual the place the send went down. The tugboats had been breaking apart the patch with hoses, it mentioned.
A Portuguese Air Power airplane and a Portuguese army vessel are to stay on the scene in search of indicators of air pollution.
