Classification
- Incident Type: Fire / Sinking
- Severity: High
- Evidence: Panama Maritime Authority investigation report R-013-2022-DIAM.
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Felicity Ace |
| Vessel Type | Ro-Ro / Car Carrier |
| Flag State | Panama [PA] |
| IMO Number | 9293911 |
| MMSI | 371427000 |
| Call Sign | 3ECX4 |
| Gross Tonnage | 60118 |
| LOA (m) | 199.99 |
| Breadth (m) | 32.26 |
| TEU | |
| Year Built | 2005 |
| Crew Size | 22 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2022-02-16 |
| Location | Atlantic Ocean west-southwest of the Azores; fire position N37 deg 29.5', W030 deg 13.1' |
| Coordinates | 37.491667, -30.218333 |
| Region | Atlantic Ocean |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Cargo Loss | Total loss of vehicle cargo |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage | |
| Insured Loss | |
| Salvage/Cleanup Cost |
Key facts
- The vessel carried 3,965 vehicles, including 574 electric vehicles, on a voyage from Emden to Davisville.
- At 08:30 UTC on 16 February, a smoke detector indicated a fire on aft cargo deck 1 between holds 3 and 4.
- The fixed high-expansion foam system was activated, but its fans did not start; the fire spread and the master ordered abandonment.
- All 22 crew were rescued; the investigation report records zero injuries and fatalities.
- The vessel and cargo were declared a total loss, and the vessel sank on 1 March 2022 during salvage operations.
Narrative
Felicity Ace was sailing from Emden, Germany, to Davisville, United States, with 3,965 vehicles, of which 574 were electric vehicles. At 08:30 UTC on 16 February 2022, a smoke detector indicated a fire on the aft part of cargo deck 1. A crew member found heavy black smoke and flames among several vehicles between holds 3 and 4. The fire team could not enter because smoke had eliminated visibility, so the master ordered the fixed high-expansion foam system to be started.
The Panama Maritime Authority report states that the foam-system fans did not appear to start. Boundary cooling was attempted, but the fire spread across the cargo decks. The vessel was abandoned after the fire became uncontrollable, and the tanker Resilient Warrior rescued the 22 crew. Salvors later provided boundary cooling while the vessel continued to burn. Felicity Ace sank on 1 March 2022 west of Faial in the Azores. The report declared both vessel and cargo a total loss and recorded pollution, but it did not identify a monetary loss estimate.
The report records crew evidence that the fire began among vehicles including a Porsche Taycan, but says the reason that vehicle ignited was unknown. It also states that the operator could not establish why the vessel sank during salvage.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2022-02-16 08:30 UTC | Smoke detection indicated a fire on aft cargo deck 1 between holds 3 and 4. |
| 2022-02-16 08:42 UTC | Boundary cooling began; fire teams could not enter the cargo deck because of thick smoke. |
| 2022-02-16 10:47 UTC | MRCC Delgada received the alert. |
| 2022-02-16 12:17 UTC | The vessel was confirmed abandoned. |
| 2022-02-16 13:40 UTC | Resilient Warrior began rescuing the crew; the report records the last crew member rescued at 14:40 UTC. |
| 2022-03-01 09:11 UTC | Felicity Ace sank west of Faial in the Azores. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed foam-system fan failure | Confirmed finding | The investigation report records that the fans did not start when the fixed high-expansion foam system was operated. The report says the reason for the failure was unknown, with heat damage to electrical cables considered likely. |
| Lack of specific electric-vehicle fire procedures and equipment | Confirmed finding | The report concluded that car carriers lacked specific equipment and procedures for extinguishing fires involving electric or hybrid vehicles. |
| Fire patrol arrangement | Confirmed finding | The report states that two able seafarers conducted the fire patrol instead of the officer of the watch and one able seafarer required by the vessel's safety-management procedures. |
| Initial ignition source | Suspected | Crew evidence placed the fire on an electric Porsche Taycan, but the report says the reason for ignition was unknown and lists possible battery or insulation failures only as hypotheses. |
Investigation
The Panama Maritime Authority's General Directorate of Merchant Marine issued report R-013-2022-DIAM after its February and March 2022 investigation. It recorded the fire position, abandonment, rescue, pollution, and sinking, and declared the vessel and cargo a total loss. The report identified the foam-fan failure and the absence of specific electric-vehicle firefighting procedures, while leaving the vehicle ignition cause and the reason for sinking during salvage unresolved.