LISBON, Portugal — A burning car transport ship drifting near the mid-Atlantic Azores Islands had luxury cars on board that were destined for North Texas, WFAA has learned.
The vehicle transporter was on a transatlantic voyage from Germany to the United States when it caught fire. The huge vessel’s 22 crew members were all evacuated due to the blaze.
The Portuguese Navy says shipping in the area has been warned that the 650-feet-long Felicity Ace is adrift. A navy statement said the fire was still burning Thursday, with large clouds of white smoke billowing out.
The Felicity Ace can carry more than 17,000 metric tons of cargo. Typically, car transport ships carry thousands of vehicles on multiple decks in their hold.
WFAA learned that both Porsche Plano and Park Place Porsche off Lemmon had cars on board that were bound for their lots.
Porsche Plano said they lost "several" cars, but did not have an exact number and wouldn't know until Monday. Meanwhile, Park Place Porsche said they had about two dozen cars headed for their Dallas dealership.
The fire comes at a time when supply chain issues and a chip shortage had already put a squeeze on car sales.
The global computer-chip shortage has forced all automakers to limit production, which has spilled into the used vehicle market. Prices of new and used automobiles are staggeringly high.
Mike Manley, the CEO of AutoNation, the country’s largest dealership group, said used vehicle prices are starting to ease a bit. But he doesn’t think new-vehicle supplies will improve much until the second half of this year.
The problem has been building since pandemic-related lockdowns shut down major Asian chip factories more than two years ago. Now it threatens to extend into the indefinite future, despite the semiconductor industry’s efforts to catch up with demand.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has called the situation “alarming" as the Biden administration presses Congress to pass $52 billion in funding aimed at easing the crisis.
Material from the Associated Press contributed to this report.