The Felicity Ace, a massive cargo ship carrying thousands of Volkswagen Group vehicles, caught fire near the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday afternoon.
The Panama-flagged ship’s 22 crewmembers were evacuated and taken to a local hotel by the Portuguese Navy and Air Force, who were deployed to help with the rescue effort, according to a statement from the Navy. The ship itself was left unmanned and adrift.
An internal email from Volkswagen AG’s U.S. operations revealed there were 3,965 vehicles aboard the ship. Headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, the group manufactures cars under brands including VW, Porsche, Audi and Lamborghini — all of which were in tow when the vessel set ablaze.
