An Italian cargo ship called Grande Americana, that was carrying thousands of cars, including Audis and Porsches, especially 4 of the latter's 911 GT2 worth Rs. 10 crore in total, sank 242 km off the coast of France on Tuesday following a fire breakout.

Operated by the Italian company Grimaldi Lines, Grande Americana was carrying cars meant to be shipped from Germany to Morocco and finally arrive at its destination in Brazil. The British Navy rescued the 27 crew members on board. Apart from the 911 GT2s, the ship was also accommodating a number of Audi A3, A5, RS4, RS5, and Q7 models as well. The fire is believed to have been started at the car deck, although the official cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Porsche had discontinued the production of the 911 GT2 models, with the last of them sinking in the ocean. However, the company released an official statement reassuring the customers that production of the model will be resumed and that the cars will be delivered to the owners by June.

“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 cannot 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 Centre for further information,” Porsche’s statement read.

A major operation has been launched by the French authorities to clean up the oil spill that was caused due to the sinking. It reportedly took nearly 8 hours for the HMS Argyll to ensure every crew member on board was extricated. “Every one of them suffered smoke inhalation. Then they faced the prospect of abandoning ship and then their lifeboat failed. It was pretty awful all round and they were shocked.

You see container ships like this every day when you're sailing around the world. What you do not see is one in flames - it was a dreadful sight,” the Lieutenant Commander of the HMS Argyll reportedly said.