Cargo ship full of Porsches burning in Atlantic Ocean
NEW YORK - A burning car transport ship continued to drift in the mid-Atlantic on Friday.
The Portuguese navy rescued the 22 crew members via helicopter on Wednesday.
Shipping in the area was warned that the 650-feet-long Felicity Ace was adrift near Portugal's Azores Islands.
Typically, car transport ships fit thousands of vehicles on multiple decks in their hold.
Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app! | Sign up for FOX 5 email newsletters
Volkswagen Group said the ship was carrying vehicles that the German automaker produced and they were headed to the U.S. Along with VW the company also produces Porches and Audis.
"Our immediate thoughts are of relief that the 22 crew of the merchant ship 'Felicity Ace' are safe and well," Porsche said in a statement to Fox News Autos.
"A number of our cars are among the cargo. We are in contact with the shipping company and the details of the cars on board are now known. Customers affected by the incident are being contacted by their dealer."
The ship was scheduled to arrive in the Port of Davisville, Rhode Island, on Feb. 23.
The ship's operator, Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, said in an email to the AP it could not provide information about the cargo.
A Portuguese navy ship was to check whether the cargo vessel was in danger of sinking or causing pollution, Sousa Luis told The Associated Press.
The ship's owner is seeking an ocean-going tug, but the Felicity Ace is unlikely to be towed to a port in Portugal's Azores Islands because of its size, Sousa Luis said.
Many of the Porsches in the shipment were special orders that customers have been waiting months to receive, according to social media posts.
One man tweeted that his custom-ordered Porsche Boxster Spyder was on the doomed ship. Base models of the vehicle sell for $100,000.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
FOX News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.