Felicity Ace, shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal
The Felicity Ace was a car carrier vessel approximately 200 meters long, built to transport thousands of automobiles across oceans. It caught fire in February 2022 and sank off the Portuguese coast while carrying a full cargo load.
The vessel was built in the early 1980s and operated without major incidents for decades. A fire of undetermined origin broke out in 2022, leading to the ship's rapid sinking and one of the largest maritime cargo losses in recent history.
Impacted brands like Volkswagen had to navigate consumer disappointment and logistical challenges.
The wreck rests on the ocean floor at significant depth and is not accessible to recreational divers. Authorities conduct salvage operations to recover and document items from the site.
The cargo included a large number of electric vehicles whose lithium batteries made the fire extremely difficult to extinguish. This incident exposed new challenges in moving such vehicles across international waters.
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