Abu Dhabi's Former VOR Yacht Destroyed By Fire

21st January 2015

#VOR - Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing's former Volvo Ocean Race yacht has been destroyed by a fire at its shipyard in France.

As Italian nautical news site Solovela reports, firefighters battled through incredible heat and toxic fumes last Friday night (16 January) to put out the blaze that engulfed the VOR 70 Azzam.

The yacht – which placed fifth in the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race with a crew including current race skipper Ian Walker and bowman Justin Slattery – was being stored in a shed at a naval shipyard in Cogolin, on the French Riviera near Saint-Tropez.

The intense heat of the fire left little to salvage from the Italian-built yacht, melting most of the hull and leaving only the boom intact.

Published in Ocean Race

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MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

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