Towing operation begins for cargo ship filled with Porsches after catching alight in the Atlantic

A crew have finally been able to board a cargo ship holding hundreds of luxury cars that set ablaze in the Atlantic last week, the ship’s owners have said.

The Felicity Ace vessel was holding an estimated $401m (£295m) worth of cars including Porsches, Audis, Bentleys and Lamborghinis, when it mysteriously set ablaze on Wednesday last week and began to drift not far from the Azores.

The ship’s owners announced on Thursday that “the stability of the vessel remains stable” and that “the smoke leaving the vessel has currently stopped and is not visible.” Nor was oil leaking from the ship, which was destined for Rhode Island, in the US.

“The salvage team on site were able to board Felicity Ace by a helicopter and the vessel has started being towed by the large salvage craft ‘Bear’ to a safe area off Azores,” the MOL Ship Management company said.

It marks the first time a crew have been able to board the ship since it set ablaze on 16 February, and 22 crew members were rescued by Portuguese authorities.

The fire broke out within five days of its departure from a port in Emden, Germany, and the cars were destined for Davisville, Rhode Island, before being subject to a fire, according to its owners.

On Monday, a Portuguese navy captain told The Wall Street Journal that the fire had finally began to subside after billowing smoke into the air for more than a week.

“There are no visible fire spots anymore, and there’s no more smoke,” said João Manuel Mendes Cabeças, a Portuguese naval captain of the firefighting work so far. “The temperature inside the ship is still high, but at least the crew can be on the main deck.”

A firefighting vessel from SMIT Salvage, the Dutch company contracted to salvage the ship, arrived on Wednesday and began putting out the blaze – which could be seen from the air – following the efforts of smaller tug vessels.

Video of the fire has shown smoke billowing into the air above the ship, that was last known to be drifting roughly 90 nautical miles southwest of the Portuguese island of the Azores in the Atlantic.

An insurer said earlier this week that an estimated $401m (£295m) worth of goods were onboard, resulting in more than $155m (£155m) in losses for Volkswagen, which owns Porsche and other car brands including Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini.