Fire-stricken Car Carrier Abandoned and Adrift in the North Atlantic
A Panamanian-flagged car carrier is crewless and adrift in the North Atlantic Ocean after a fire broke out in a cargo hold on Wednesday.
The Portuguese Navy said it coordinated the rescue of 22 crew members from the Felicity Ace about 90 nautical miles southwest of the island of Faial, in the Azores. The Portuguese Navy's ocean patrol vessel NRP Setúbal and four nearby merchant ships participated in the rescue.
The mariners were transported by a Portuguese Air Force aircraft to Horta airport, and then to a nearby hotel. No injuries have been reported.
The 200-meter-long ship caught fire while transiting from Emden, Germany to Davisville, R.I., according to MarineTraffic data. The cause of the fire is unknown.
The abandoned vessel is still ablaze but said to be in stable condition, the Portuguese Navy said in its latest update on Thursday. There are no visible traces of pollution in the area.
NRP Setúbal remains on site to monitor the situation as the ship's owner Snowscape Car Carriers S.A. arranges for the burning vessel to be towed.
The 60,118 GT roll-on, roll-off vehicle carrier (RoRo) Felicity Ace was built in 2005 by Japan's Shin Kurushima Dockyard and is operated by a subsidiary of Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL).
