The salvage team on site was able to board the fire-ravaged car carrier Felicity Ace by helicopter and the vessel started being towed by a salvage tug to a safe area off the Azores. The plan is to reposition the vessel some 60 nautical miles southeast of the island of Faial.
by helicopter and the vessel started being towed by a salvage tug to a safe area off the Azores. The plan is to reposition the vessel some 60 nautical miles southeast of the island of Faial. The latest update from MOL Ship Management Singapore, managers of the Felicity Ace, said that two tugs, ALP Guard and Dian Kingdom, together with a large salvage craft with additional firefighting capability, V.B. Hispanic are escorting the vessel during the tow. In addition, the Portuguese Navy’s ocean patrol vessel also remains on site providing assistance, monitoring the stability of the ship, and looking for signs of pollution in the water.
According to MOL, there is no oil leakage from the vessel, and it remains stable. The smoke leaving the vessel had stopped and is no longer visible.
The Panama-flagged ship caught fire on February 16, carrying nearly 4,000 cars from Emden, Germany to Rhode Island, US. UK risk consultancy Russell Group estimated the total dollar value of goods on the ship at $438m. The cause of the fire is unknown.
