Luxury cargo ship fire sparks legal battle over electric vehicle safety
10 March 2024 15:44
The carrier was transporting vehicles from the German port of Emden to the USA. It never reached its destination. The Portuguese navy and air force evacuated 22 crew members from the burning ship.
Ship fire in the Atlantic leads to lawsuits
The car carrier had 3,965 vehicles onboard. This included models from Bentley, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Audi.
The sunken vehicles were estimated to be worth around £124 million, and the cost of the ship is additional to this figure, according to the moto.pl service.
Nearly two years on, the high-profile case has resurfaced due to two new lawsuits being filed.
"The first lawsuit was directed at Porsche. It was initiated by the ship's operator – Mitsui OSK Lines, in partnership with insurer – Allianz. The reason? The fire reportedly began with an electric Porsche that spontaneously ignited, without any apparent cause," reports the industry service.
"The second lawsuit was lodged against the Volkswagen Group. Mitsui OSK Lines and Allianz are accusing the German conglomerate of hiding information about the risks related to transporting electric vehicles," moto.pl adds.
