Cargo Ship with Porsches, Lamborghinis Burning in the Atlantic

Reuters, DPA/

Nearly 4,000 cars, including Audis, Porches and Lamborghinis, were going up in smoke on a freighter that caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Portugal’s Azores islands.

The Panama-flagged Felicity Ace was carrying Volkswagen Group vehicles from Germany to the US, a VW spokesperson said on Friday.

It caught fire on Wednesday evening, and Portugal’s navy and air force rescued its 22-strong-crew.

An internal email from Volkswagen US said the ship carried 3,965 vehicles of the VW, Porsche, Audi and Lamborghini brands.

A Porsche spokesperson confirmed nearly 1,100 Porsche vehicles were on board. Audi also said some of its cars were on the ship but did not state how many.

The Portuguese navy was keeping an eye on the burning ship.

A Dutch salvage company would examine the possibility of towing the ship to a port, according to the Portuguese news agency Lusa.

lo/dj (Reuters, DPA)