Cargo ship carrying hundreds of Porsches left to burn in Atlantic after crew flee

A cargo ship carrying Porsches and Volkswagen vehicles was abandoned after it caught fire in the middle of the Atlantic, with crew rescued and the ship left to drift.

It is not yet clear what caused the blaze aboard the Felicity Ace, but all crew members are thought to have been rescued from the vessel, industry website Auto Evolution reported.

Among the cars believed to be on the ship is a Porsche 718 Spyder belonging to You Tube star Matt Farah.

“I just got the call from my dealer. My car is now adrift, possibly on fire, in the middle of the ocean,” he tweeted.

(Portuguese Navy)

Volkswagen Group acknowledged the incident in a statement but didn’t provide clarity on the cause. A spokesperson told Insider in a statement:

"We are aware of an incident today involving a cargo ship transporting Volkswagen Group vehicles across the Atlantic. At this time, we are not aware of any injuries. We are working with local authorities and the shipping company to investigate the cause of the incident."

A Porsche app referenced the incident but did not appear to provide details of the issue. “We are aware of an incident aboard the Felicity Ace, a specialized cargo ship carrying certain Porsche vehicles. Your dealership will provide you with additional information on how this impacts you as soon as we have additional information and know the full scope of the issue,” the message reportedly read.

The Associated Press reported that the crew members were taken to Faial island in the Azores, about 100 miles from the ship, and were staying at local hotels. A Portuguese navy commander told the AP that the ship’s massive size would likely preclude it from being towed to port in the Azores. It’s unclear where the ship will ultimately end up.

The Associated Press contributed.