Felicity Ace was a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship (Pure Car/Truck Carrier) built by Shin Kurushima Dockyard in 2005, owned and operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines of Japan, and registered in Panama. She caught fire in February 2022 south of the Azores, then capsized and sank in early March.
Design and construction
Felicity Ace was designed for the dedicated carriage of cars and trucks. The length of the vessel was , the beam and the service draught . The vessel's deadweight was 17,738 tonnes, with a gross tonnage of 60,118. She was powered by a single main diesel engine rated at , giving a service speed of .
The ship was built at Shin Kurushima Dockyard's Ōnishi facility in Imabari, Ehime, Japan, at Yard No. 5306 for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) of Japan and issued with IMO number 9293911. The ship's keel was laid on 9 December 2004, and she was launched on 2 July 2005. Felicity Ace was completed on 5 October 2005 and delivered to MOL in the registered ownership of Aurora Car Maritime Transport SA under the Panamanian flag. From 2011 her registered owner was Snowscape Car Carriers SA, remaining under MOL group management.
2022 fire
The ship sailed from Emden, Germany, on 10 February 2022, carrying 3,965 Volkswagen Group cars, including Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini and Bentley models. Porsche lost 1,117 cars on the ship, Audi claimed a loss of 1,944 vehicles, Bentley lost 189, Lamborghini lost 85, and Volkswagen lost 561 cars.
In addition to numerous family vehicles, including Volkswagen ID.4 and Audi e-tron electric cars, the ship carried fifteen high performance Lamborghini Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae vehicles, with an estimated retail price above each. The ship also carried some privately-owned cars and trucks of varying makes and models along with numerous tractors. The Ultimae was the last edition of the Aventador to be produced, and at the time of the accident, production of the Aventador had ended.
The cargo section caught fire on 16 February 2022, while crossing the North Atlantic heading for Davisville, Rhode Island. At this time, the ship was about from Terceira Island in the Azores. All 22 crew members abandoned the ship and survived, being evacuated by the Portuguese Navy. The Azorean harbourmaster told Reuters that lithium-ion batteries in electric cars ignited and the fire could only be extinguished with special equipment. Contrary to speculations in the media, it is unknown whether an electric car caused the initial fire.
Analysts estimated the damage caused by the cargo loss to be between and .
Felicity Ace was being followed by the Portuguese Navy patrol ship NRP Setúbal, approximately southwest off the Azores, waiting for rescuers to try to extinguish the fire and tow the vessel to shore. On 18 February, Smit Salvage were contracted to salvage the ship.
Two large tugs with firefighting equipment were ordered to support the vessel from Gibraltar. In addition, a salvage craft with firefighting equipment was set to arrive from Rotterdam on 23 or 24 February. A Portuguese Navy spokesman said that Felicity Ace was unlikely to be towed to a port in the Azores due to its size.
The ship drifted guideless and burning on the Atlantic for about a week. A team from Smit was able to board and stabilize the ship. The fire was out at this time and a towing connection to a tug was also established.
Sinking
On 1 March 2022, Felicity Ace was reported to have capsized and sunk. A Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) spokesperson said that the ship developed a 45-degree list to starboard and unexpectedly capsized at approximately 9 am local time about off the Azores in rough seas. MOL was unable to confirm if any oil pollution had occurred. The Portuguese Navy said that oily residue and wreckage was visible at the surface, the water was about deep at the sinking site, and that naval forces would continue to monitor the area.
