Posted on 03/01/2022 22:04
(Credit: Reproduction/Portuguese Navy)
At about 6 a.m. this Tuesday (1/3) – 9 a.m. Lisbon time, in Portugal – the freighter Felicity Ice sank in the Atlantic Ocean. The The ship was on fire, adrift since February 16. The information was confirmed by MOL Ship Management, the company responsible for the ship.
Felicity Ice sank more than 400 kilometers off the coast of the Azores, in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean – and Portuguese territory. The ship left Germany and was carrying a shipment of cars to the United States.
The ship’s crew included 22 crew members, and they were all rescued from the ship as well. MOL Ship Management has not disclosed the causes or circumstances of the fire. The cargo ship was 650 feet long and left a cloud of smoke across the Atlantic Ocean for several days. The ship carried about 4,000 vehicles, between 1,000 Porsches and 200 Bentleys.
Environmental groups are concerned about the ship’s oil tonnage and the consequences for coral reefs in the area. According to the NGO Oceana, a vessel of dimensions Felicity Ice can hold up to 3 million liters of heavy fuel, as well as electrical materials and toxic paint.
The Portuguese Navy – which was helping to control the fire on Friday (2/25) – sent a group of experts on board a helicopter to assess the situation. According to the information, no flames appeared in the outer zone of the ship, but there was a “overheating in the middle zone” of the ship.
