Two years ago, the Felicity Ace cargo ship sank in the Atlantic Ocean following a massive fire, leading to the loss of more than 3,900 vehicles. The Volkswagen Group is now facing two lawsuits that claim the fire was triggered by a Porsche EV that was onboard.
One of the suits has been filed in Stuttgart and was brought by half a dozen plaintiffs. These include ship operator Mitsui OSK Lines and Allianz, which was one of the insurers of the vessel. This case was filed more than a year ago but paused due to mediation talks planned for the second lawsuit currently before a court in the German city of Brunswick.
Auto News reports that the two lawsuits will resume if no settlement is reached. While the VW Group has confirmed the two lawsuits, it has not commented on them.
Read: Here’s The Entire Manifest Of Cars Aboard Sunken Felicity Ace Cargo Ship
The suits claim that the lithium-ion battery of an unspecified Porsche model (presumably a Taycan) caused the fire and that VW had not informed them of the danger and necessary precautions required for transporting electric vehicles. The judges have not yet looked into the merits of the two lawsuits as the parties involved have yet to agree on the amount of collateral that must be posted.
Estimates suggest that the fire cost the VW Group approximately $155 million. Fortunately for most customers who had vehicles on board the Felicity Ace, their vehicles were replaced. These included the 15 Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae models that were destroyed as well as ~1,800 Audi vehicles that were also on the ship.
Some of the non-VW Group used vehicles were not replaced. These included a 1996 Honda Prelude SiR that was on the ship and being imported to the U.S. The Felicity Ace was also carrying a 1977 Land Rover Santana, a 2007 BMW 750i, a 2015 Ford Mustang, and a 2019 Mini Countryman.