22 crew members were rescued from the large Felicity Ace cargo ship on Wednesday after it issued a distress signal when a fire broke out on board the vessel, which was carrying 4,000 vehicles, including Porsches and Volkswagens.
A statement released by the Portuguese Navy confirmed that the rescue operation had been undertaken in response to an alert from the Panama-flagged ship.
The Portuguese Navy’s NRP Setubal patrol ship, four merchant vessels in the area, and Portuguese Air Force assets were activated to provide support and bring the crew to safety.
The ship, which is 650 feet long, was traveling from Emden in Germany to Davisville in the United States when a fire broke out near the Azores island of Faial.
Both Porsche and Volkswagen issued statements in response to the situation.
“Our immediate thoughts are of the 22 crew of the merchant ship Felicity Ace, all of whom we understand are safe and well as a result of their rescue by the Portuguese Navy following reports of a fire on board,” a spokesperson for Porsche said.
A statement from Volkswagen read, “We are aware of an incident today involving a cargo ship transporting Volkswagen Group vehicles across the Atlantic. At this time, we are not aware of any injuries. We are working with local authorities and the shipping company to investigate the cause of the incident.”