Italian container ship bound for Brazil and carrying 2,000 cars, including 37 Porsches, sinks off the coast of France as British Royal Navy stages dramatic rescue of all 27 crew members

Italian container ship bound for Brazil and carrying 2,000 cars, including 37 Porsches, sinks off the coast of France as British Royal Navy stages dramatic rescue of all 27 crew members
Ariel Zilber For Dailymail.com and Press Association 20 March 2019

Last Tuesday, an Italian merchant vessel ran aground in the Atlantic Ocean some 150 miles off the coast of France
Grande America, a cargo ship that was operated by the Italian company Grimaldi Lines, was sailing from Hamburg to Casablanca
After docking in Casablanca, it was eventually scheduled to sail to Brazil
But it sank about 150 nautical miles southwest of Brest, France at a depth of 15,000 feet
The ship was carrying 37 Porsches, including four models of the 911 GT2 RS, which is worth $292,200 each
Porsche informed its Brazilian customers that it would restart production of the model due to the sinking
Another European car maker, Audi, lost a number of its vehicles in the shipment, including the Audi A3, A5, RS4, RS5, and Q7 models
A crew of 27 were saved from the Grande America on March 11 as it was engulfed in flames after a Royal Navy vessel moved in to rescue them from 150 miles away

An Italian container ship bound for Brazil while carrying some 2,000 cars including some three dozen Porsches caught fire and sank in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of France last week.

All 27 crew members aboard were rescued by the British military, though French authorities quickly began to clean up an oil spill caused as a result of the sinking.

The vessel ran aground on March 12 about 150 nautical miles southwest of Brest, France, at a depth of 15,000 feet beneath the surface of the ocean.

The German automaker confirmed on Tuesday that the doomed vessel was carrying four models of the 911 GT2 RS Production of this specific model ended last February, but Porsche will manufacture a few more to make up for the lost shipment, according to Carscoops.

Each vehicle carries a retail price of about $293,200.

The Stuttgart-based company wrote a letter to its Brazilian customers informing them that they would reproduce the model especially for them.

‘We are sorry to inform you that, due to a fire, a Grimaldi group ship, that was transporting your vehicle, sank on March 12, 2019,’ the company wrote to its customers.

‘And for that reason, your GT2 RS can not be delivered.

‘As you may know, Porsche ended the 911 GT2 RS production on February 2019 and under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be possible to give you another car.

‘But, due to the nature of the situation, and considering that you’re a loyal and highly valuable customer for our brand, Porsche has decided to resume the GT2 RS production in Germany, and your vehicle will be produced in April, with delivery scheduled for June.

‘We recommend that you contact your local Porsche Center for further information.’

In addition to the 911 GT2 RS, Porsche had a number of other models that were lost at sea.

They include 718 Caymans, Boxters, and Cayennes.

In total, there were 37 Porsches aboard the Grande America.

Another European car maker, Audi, lost a number of its vehicles in the shipment, including the Audi A3, A5, RS4, RS5, and Q7 models.

A crew of 27 were saved from the Grande America on March 11 as it was engulfed in flames after a Royal Navy vessel moved in to rescue them from 150 miles away.

It took sailors on HMS Argyll just eight hours to save every person aboard the 28,000-ton merchant ship in the Bay of Biscay after the ship’s cargo of containers and cars caught fire.

The crew aboard the Grande America merchant ship had been trying to fight the flames but were forced to abandon it, climbing into their lifeboat despite the 5m to 6m swirls in the sea at night.

continue....https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6828463/Italian-container-ship-...