Freighter with Volkswagen cars burns in the Atlantic – VW share slightly higher

The 22 crew members gave up the almost 200-meter-long “Felicity Ace” and were taken to safety, a spokesman said on Friday for the German Press Agency. The ship’s position remains stable and there is currently no risk of fuel catching fire or spilling from the ship into the sea, the spokesman added.

The fire on the car transporter flying the Panamanian flag, which was reportedly en route from Emden to Davisville in the US state of Rhode Island, broke out on one of the car decks on Wednesday. Videos on the Internet showed white smoke pouring out of the huge ship.

The Portuguese Navy’s patrol boat “Setúbal” is with the ship, which is adrift in the sea about 170 kilometers southwest of the Azores island of Faial. Experts from a Dutch salvage company are expected on Friday to examine the possibility of towing the ship to a port, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.

The preferred share of Volkswagen (VW) was temporarily up 0.10 percent on XETRA on Friday at 184.18 euros.

/ro/DP/eas

LISBON (dpa-AFX)

Image sources: Volkswagen AG