Cargo ship Cougar Ace tips over, 4,700 Mazdas aboard
The Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Cougar Ace has tipped over off the coast of Alaska. All 23 crewmembers have been rescued. The same cannot be said, however, for the 4,700 Mazdas aboard the ill-fated 654-foot ship.
According to Mazda, 60% of the cars aboard are Mazda3s, and 30% are CX-7 SUVs. The Associated Press reports that the Cougar Ace tipped after her ballast was adjusted in the open sea. The resulting imbalance sent her over into the 60-degree list she is currently experiencing. As seen in the US Coast Guard photo above, her keel, rudder, and propeller are all out of the water.The Coast Guard reports that aside from the list, the ship is stable and not sinking. Mitsui O.S.K., the Cougar Ace's owners, has initiated a salvage operation and the company they're working with is expected onsite in approximately one week.
Mazda does not know the extent of the damage to its vehicles and will refrain from further comment until it has more solid information, but based on photos of the ship, it looks like it's safe to assume that the conditions in the hold are, at best, a gigantic mess.
(Mazda press release after the jump)
[Sources: Mazda, AP via CTV, Alaska Report)
PRESS RELEASE:
Mazda Vehicles Aboard
Stricken Car-Carrying Vessel, Cougar Ace
On July 24, 2006, Mazda was advised that the Mitsui OSK Lines' Cougar Ace had run into trouble off the Alaskan coast. Although it is reportedly still afloat, the vessel is on its side,
What caused this incident or the extent of the damage to the vehicles is currently unknown. Just over 4,700 Canadian- and U.S-bound Mazdas were on board. Approximately 60 percent of the cars are MAZDA3s and close to 30 percent are Mazda CX-7s. The vehicles were headed to the ports of Vancouver (Canada), Tacoma and Hueneme in the USA.
A plan for salvaging the vessel is being developed and will be executed by Mitsui OSK Lines as soon as possible.
Mazda will wait until the situation has been fully evaluated and understood, before disclosing further information.
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Reader Comments (Page 3 of 5)
TorpedoIT 1:53PM (7/27/2006)
Daimler Chrysler should send a UBOAT out to finish the job. Less Mazda3's out there the more the Calibers they will sell.
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josh 1:53PM (7/27/2006)
i read on yahoo yesterday that the cars are bound for Canada. no more whining about missing 3's please...i guess unless you are from canda???
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Adrian 2:11PM (7/27/2006)
#38, they were going to Canada and the US. The ship's last stop was here in Southern California... Port Hueneme is just north of Los Angeles.
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Ryan 2:17PM (7/27/2006)
"38. Will this add to Ford's financial woes in one way or another?
Maybe this is divine payback for Ford's support of the Nazi regime...
Posted at 1:47PM on Jul 27th 2006 by Finished.Law.School 0 stars"
-Yeah it could be a Nazi regime divine payback. OR HERE IS MY THEORY:
The ship tipped over.
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stall 2:29PM (7/27/2006)
STALLOWNED!!!!1
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Busy Body 3:06PM (7/27/2006)
Finished.Law.School, are you for real?
And BTW, it's NAZI, not "Nazi".
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Mike G 3:08PM (7/27/2006)
Why couldn't it have been a boatload of cars no one wants, like Ford Focus's or Chevy Trailblazers?
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Jaymez 4:32PM (7/27/2006)
A few weeks ago, a cruise ship off the coast of Florida tipped 80°. This image really puts that in perspective.
As for the Mazdas, good riddance.
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lavardera 4:54PM (7/27/2006)
ooo, have a look at that tricolor link.
http://www.tricolorsalvage.com/pages/infographic.asp
went to the bottom full of cars. They cut it into slices with a long cable - how many cars got bisected in that operation! Later the state flatly that the cars were scrapped.
Mazda will be fine.
Shipping company will loose business.
Captain will never work in industry again.
Insurance company will payout, rates will rise.
We all will pay for it with higher import costs.
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PJ 5:16PM (7/27/2006)
Wow. Usually takes more than 39 posts for Godwin's Law to kick in.
As for the Mazda 3's thin sheetmetal, cheap carpeting, weak floormats, and smattering of chintzy plastics, Dr. Smart, here's your eplanation:
You spent less than $20,000 on a car.
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John P. Hedin aka DrSmart 5:16PM (7/27/2006)
Our car is a loaded Mazda 3- 2.3L 5 door which lists for about $20,000 -equipped with Leather Upholstery and a pwoer moonroof / not a BASE car-I have owned 85 cars and have never seen such QUALITY issues in a car trying compete in a market that will not tolerate such cheapness. I forgot to mention the paper thin paint on the car and the cartridge element oil filter-a real class leader.
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Speed42 5:24PM (7/27/2006)
This just in...
General Motors has contracted with shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. to move all its unsold inventory from dealer lots in the U.S. to a yet to be named location near Alaska.
"We hope this inventory relocation program tops even our employee pricing blitz to help improve our bottom line and make stockholders happy," said an anonymous GM employee whose name rhymes with Bagonner.
Ford executives are said to be looking at their own inventory relocation program to compete with The General, possibly outfitting their low-selling SUVS with impossibly small sails and leaky pontoons and setting them free on the open sea.
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Scott 5:25PM (7/27/2006)
I work at a Mazda dealer, and our rep just went over the list with us to let us know what we won't now be getting. There were NOT any speed3's on board. It was the first shipment of 2007 Mazda 3's 5's and continuing supply of CX-7's
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lavardera 6:08PM (7/27/2006)
All this mazda3 bashing. What is a better car at a similar price? Lets hear it. I'm car shopping.
I went to look at a Matrix. I was not impressed compared to the Mazda. Focus - forget it. The civic is wonderful - crap - there is no hatch and you can't even get a fold down rear seat until you buy the highest trim. The people who are complaining are not going to send me to Kia, are they? Mits doesn't bring the Lancer wagon here - god knows why not. A Golf then, Rabbit - they look great but I've had friends with nightmares about quality and maintenance - old news, they are good now, right? Ok, so we have the Rabbit. Anything else? Nissan has not been in the small hatch game for years. Chrysler may have a winner, but it looks like a shrimpy truck to me - no thanks. Hyundi had a 4dr hatch in the Elantra, but I have not seen one to be offered in the new version yet. GM - any small 4dr hatch? something? nothing? anything?
looks like slim pickins. Mazda wins?
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Dan 6:21PM (7/27/2006)
I thought they put the vehicles in large crates? so why didnt they here? if the crates fell in the water and were shut tight with the cars inside they might be salvageable who knows right? does anyone remember a few months back something like this also happend to Kias?
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DA. White 7:02PM (7/27/2006)
#39 Maybe You should go back to Law School and read the rest of the story
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joe 8:03PM (7/27/2006)
Let's rent a boat and grab a couple of Mazda3's, anyone?
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salguod 9:40PM (7/27/2006)
Check the discussion at msprotege.com here:
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123641617
One of the members is in the Coast Guard in Anchorage. His last post (about 7 PM eastern) said the ship is drifting toward shore, fast.
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Steve Machine 10:09PM (7/27/2006)
If I was to make a movie about this, I would sell it as "Cars" meets "Posideon".
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Peter 12:22AM (7/28/2006)
I can't take credit for the following, because I read it elsewhere:
What caused the ship to capsize?
The captain was going Zoom Zoom Zoom
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