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That's salvage right? Got a super giant cargo ship you too can own several hundred luxury cars.
These days, the old thing of no one left aboard who is alive isn't quite the finders/keepers story we are told as children.
Let's say find a Nazi bomber in international waters loaded with treasure. It is all yours, right? Nope! It's a government aircraft that belongs to the succeeding government. If it were the US, then it takes an act of Congress to declare that it is theirs no more.
As complex as government vessels are, I suspect the flags, owners, and insurance would be equally tough for civilian vessels.
In this case, if they get control of it, there is probably a nice finder's reward or profit in selling it back, depending on how it is set up, to not bother with doing the individual cargo itself.
I recently watched a show on Discovery or the Science Channel where a ship carrying cars had run aground and capsized somewhere. They were able to salvage the ship and a lot of the cars. I forget where and when it happened.
Just saying, it happens more frequently than you might think.
I saw a youtube vid of such a ship that capsized either in the English Channel or nearby. It was righted, towed to port, with many vehicles fit enough to be driven off but the entire load was written off as I recall.
Same thing happened just off of the West Coast of the U.S. some years earlier - boat contained many japanese cars and ALOT of Mazda Miatas. Talk about people brought to tears....
The Golden Ray disaster in recent times off of St. Simons Island, GA (Brunswick) really hit me hard. An incompetent korean/oriental crew - the ship's officers and crew refused to speak to the USCS Board of Inquiry - ship had been very badly mis-loaded, way 'out of balance' as a result. Removal was just completed not long ago.
My local dealer lost vehicles on this, my sales friend lost commissions on this, service and mechanic friends at dealership all lose, yet you find this funny?
$100 million worth of vehicles is what the insurance numbers are. People mentioned lithium batteries burning, thus good luck putting it out.
I also don't get why anyone would think this is funny. Is it because there are some more expensive models on board? What about the people waiting for their less expensive vehicles that are also on that ship? I don't think anyone would find it funny if it was a car you ordered and now won't be getting, especially in this more recent car buying market. It's going to take approx another 8 months or more for some of those cars to be replaced.
Shame. I looked into ordering a 911 and you can't even get on a list unless you want the most basic one. Wait times are years out. I feel for the people that lost their cars they waited so long for. I suspect we will have the jealous types or judgmental types on here all happy about it, but if you are a car enthusiast or just enjoy the art of vehicles, it is sad.
Guess the people waiting will be waiting years more now.
Some people are envious idiots. Like the antifa crowd.
Last edited by henrychen; 02-20-2022 at 06:21 AM..
"A huge cargo ship carrying thousands of luxury vehicles from Germany to the United States, including 1,100 Porsches, caught fire this week, forcing all 22 crew members to abandon ship and leave the vessel adrift in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
A fire broke out Wednesday morning on the Felicity Ace, a ship about 650 feet long, near Portugal’s Azores Islands, according to the Portuguese navy. The ship had departed from Emden, Germany, on Feb. 10 and was scheduled to complete its 13-day trip and arrive in Davisville, R.I., next week, according to VesselFinder, a ship tracking website. The Volkswagen Group estimated that nearly 4,000 cars were aboard the Felicity Ace, according to the Drive, an automotive website."
"The fire was still burning on the ship as of Friday, according to the Portuguese navy, and photos showed white smoke billowing out of the vessel. Joao Mendes Cabecas, a captain of the nearby port of Hortas, told Reuters that lithium-ion batteries in the electric cars on the Felicity Ace caught fire, but it was unclear whether that is what started the blaze."
Abandoned ships are open for anyone to get on board and claim the ship per Maritime laws.
Your chance to own a few cars if you can get the fire put out and drive a big ship.
This is only true under limited circumstances. Per vessels afloat, the Law of Salvage requires the salvor to surrender said vessel to its legal owner, who is in turn legally obligated to compensate the salvor a fair price for assistance rendered.
Ignoring for a moment that a car submerged in salt water is then properly called scrap metal, the Law of Finds opens a wreck to any claimant when a vessel is submerged and the legal owner has abandoned all attempts to recover said vessel and/or cargo for some period of time (ie, years).
Different laws will apply in various territorial waters.
So, no, in the real world the contents of the ship in question - even if actually abandoned - would not be open to salvors.
Side note:
Porsche produces more than 270,000 vehicles annually. The cargo of 1100 cars in this case, if lost, isn't going to make so much as a blip in the market.
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