1,000 Porsches are burning aboard this abandoned cargo ship

A massive, abandoned cargo ship is burning in the Atlantic with 3,965 Volkswagen Group vehicles on board, about a quarter of them from Porsche, according to Bloomberg. Porsche estimates that 1,100 of its vehicles are on board the Felicity Ace, a cargo ship about the size of three football fields. Volkswagen Group is also home to brands like Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and VW.

The Felicity Ace was heading from Germany to a port in Rhode Island when it issued distress signals Wednesday morning, reporting a fire in one of its cargo decks. All 22 crew members were successfully evacuated and did not need medical attention, according to a statement by the Portuguese Navy. The owner of the vessel is now developing a plan to recover the abandoned ship.

Photo: Portuguese Navy

The incident is a troubling development for the Volkswagen Group, in an industry already plagued by supply issues resulting from pandemic-related staff and chip shortages.