Tug boats spray water on blazing ship carrying Porsches and Bentleys near Azores
Tug boat
Heavytugboatson Tuesdaysprayedwateron a burningshipcarryingthousands ofPorschesandBentleysadrift off the coast of Portugal'sAzores islands, theship's manager said in a statement.
The Felicity Ace,carryingaround 4,000 vehicles includingPorsches, AudisandBentleys, some with lithium-ion batteries, caught fire on Wednesday last week.
The 22 crew members on board were evacuated the same day.
Shipmanager Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (MOL) said in a statement the vessel was still on fire but stable,andthat no oil leak had been reported so far. It also said theshipwas drifting further from theAzores islands in the Atlantic ocean.
Two largetugboatsequipped with firefighting gear arrived from Gibraltar on Monday,andwere working with another patrol boat tospraywaterat the Felicity Aceandcool it down, MOL said.
The arrival of two othertugboatswith more firefighting equipment is scheduled for Feb. 23andFeb. 26.
"Together with the all relevant parties, MOL is making every effort to contain the damageandresolve the situation as soon as possible," MOL said.
João Mendes Cabeças, the captain of thenearest port on theAzorean islandof Faial, said on Sunday the fire had lost its intensity, probably because there was little left to burn.
Cabeças said as the fire subsidesandthe structure cools down, firefighting teamsandtechnicians might be able to board the vessel to prepare to tow it either to Europe or the Bahamas.
"When conditions are safe the salvage team will board the Felicity Ace for an initial assessment," MOL added.
Cabeças told Reuters over the weekend the lithium-ion batteries in the electric vehicles were "keeping the fire alive." It was not clear whether the batteries had caused the fire.
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MOL did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the cause of the fire.
Volkswagen, which owns the car brands, said on Monday it did not have any further information to share.