Four Porsche 911 GT2 RS & Other Premium Cars Sink In Atlantic Ocean After Fire Broke Out On Ship

A container ship carrying around 2,000 cars and tonnes of chemicals sank in the Atlantic ocean on March 11, 2019. This has caused a loss of millions of dollars to several companies and heartburn to car enthusiasts because of the kind of cars that now lie at the bottom of the ocean.

On board the ship was four units of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS among a total of 37 Porsche cars. Audi too has reportedly lost several cars in the incident. The ship named Grande America departed from Hamburg in Germany and was en route to Casablanca in Morocco.

After docking in Morocco, it was supposed to head to Brazil where customers of the Porsche and Audi cars were awaiting their precious cargo. The incident happened after a fire broke out in one of the containers and soon spread to other containers.

The ship was carrying containers with tonnes of sulphuric acid and hydrochloric acid, and these highly inflammable materials burned uncontrollably. The crew of the ship tried to put the fire out, but to no avail and they finally ended up abandoning the ship.

The troubles of the crew didn't end there, as the motor on their lifeboats did not start. The crew were therefore tossed about in the rough 5-6 metre-long waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The crew had sent out an emergency 'mayday' call and therefore a Royal Navy Ship - HMS Argyll - rushed to the rescue of the crew. All 27 members of the crew were saved, but the cargo aboard the ship sank to the depths.

Other than the prized 911 GT2 RS cars, Porsche Brazil lost a few 718 Caymans, Boxsters and even Cayennes. The cars were supposed to be unloaded at Santos, Brazil and then handed over to customers.

Production of the Porsche 991 911 GT2 RS was stopped in February 2019, and the four cars on-board the Grande America were among the last cars to be shipped for delivery. The 911 GT2 RS is one of the best performance cars in the world and boasts of German engineering finesse.

It was only a couple of days ago that the 911 GT2 RS took the record for the fastest street-legal car at the Buddh International Circuit. Such cars would only be reserved for Porsche loyalists and not anyone with enough money to buy the car. Porsche therefore took the decision to restart production of the 911 GT2 RS so that they could be delivered to their respective customers in Brazil.

Porsche wrote a letter to its customers that stated, "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. And for that reason, your GT2 RS can not be delivered.

As you may know, Porsche ended the 991 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 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."

As for the other cars that sunk with the ship, there is no information about their manufacturer or where they were headed.

Thoughts On Ship With 2,000 Cars Including Porsche 911 GT2 RS Sinks In The Atlantic Ocean

It is extremely painful to see such a large number of cars sinking to the ocean floor. The ship and its cars will become an artificial reef to the fish in the ocean. Meanwhile, on land, Porsche will restart production and make sure that the cars reach their owners safely this time around.

Source: Carscoops

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