The fire is still burning but steady on the ship carrying luxury cars near the Azores

LISBON – Heavy tugs on Tuesday sprayed water on a burning ship carrying thousands of people Porsches and You the ship’s manager said in a statement.

Felicity Ace, carrying about 4,000 vehicles, including Porsche, Audis and Bentley, some with lithium-ion the batterycaught fire last Wednesday.

The 22 crew members on board were evacuated the same day.

The ship’s director, Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd (MOL) said in a statement that the ship was still on fire but stable and that no oil leaks had been reported to date. It also said the ship was drifting further away from the Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

Two large tugs equipped with firefighting equipment arrived in Gibraltar on Monday and are working with another patrol boat to spray water on the Felicity Ace and cool it down, MOL said.

The arrivals of two other tugs with more firefighting equipment were expected on 23 February and 26 February.

“Along with all parties involved, MOL is doing its best to prevent damage and resolve the situation as soon as possible,” the MOL said.

João Mendes Cabeças, captain of the nearest port on the Azorean island of Faial, said on Sunday the fire had lost its intensity, probably because there were only so few flames left to burn.

Cabeças said once the fire subsides and the structure cools down, fire crews and technicians can get on board to prepare. drag it to Europe or Bahamas.

“Once conditions are safe, the rescue team will board the Felicity Ace for an initial assessment,” MOL added.

Cabeças told Reuters over the weekend that lithium-ion batteries in tram has “keep the fire alive.” It is not clear whether the battery caused a fire.

MOL did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the cause of the fire.

VolkswagenThe company, which owns the car brands, said on Monday that it did not have any further information to share.