(Lisbon) The Portuguese navy announced on Tuesday morning that a freighter carrying thousands of luxury vehicles from the Volkswagen Group, which caught fire almost two weeks ago in the Azores archipelago, was wrecked.
Posted at 1:00 p.m.
“Merchant Ship Felicity Ace It sank 25 nautical miles (46 km) from the Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone, ”the navy said in a statement.
A freighter that “lost stability” sank during a towing operation that began on February 24 at an altitude of 3,000 meters.
The Felicity AceHe hoisted the Panamanian flag and was swept away for a few days by the Portuguese archipelago in the Azores after a fire broke out on board on 16 February.
The ship was about 90 nautical miles (approximately 170 kilometers) southwest of Fial Island when it was alerted by a ship bound for the United States departing from Germany.
22 crew members were immediately rescued. They were first airlifted in an oil tanker diverted to take part in relief operations before being flown to File Island in a military helicopter.
In the days that followed, the fire spread to the ship, which was about 200 meters long. Many media outlets have blamed lithium batteries for the disaster, but the information has not been confirmed.
Volkswagen claims that the ship has “almost 4,000 vehicles from many brands, including 1,100 Porsches”.
Analyst Russell last week estimated that the fire would “cost Volkswagen at least $ 155 million.”
At the sinking site, the Portuguese navy said it would be possible to see “debris and greasy debris” being monitored, especially if naval divers with retention barriers pollution control had to go to the scene.
A military aircraft should also monitor the development of the situation.
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