Autoblog

If you've ever smashed up a car in an accident, you've probably had the unpleasant experience of dealing with insurance agents who assess what can be saved and what has to be written off. In most cases, insurance companies might find ways to save as much as they can. But the insurers of the Cougar Ace want to make sure every last nut and bolt of some $100 million worth of new Mazdas are completely scrapped.

The Cougar Ace, as you'll recall, was a ship full of Mazda automobiles that nearly capsized in the Pacific Ocean two years ago. Although the cars were securely strapped down, Mazda deemed it impossible to determine the extent of the potential damage caused to each of the vehicles on board, so rather than risk the cars making their way onto the market – like many Katrina-damaged vehicles from New Orleans three years ago – the company and its insurers decided each car had to be scrapped. The process of destroying 4703 vehicles, however, proved to be quite a challenge. Airbags had to be triggered, wheels sliced and tires purposely punctured. For the airbag process alone, it would have taken half an hour for each car, so Mazda developed a device to inflate them all at once on each car, saving countless hours of work. The result is a seemingly counter-intuitive disassembly line turns the nearly 5000 new cars into metal shards. Follow the jump to read more about the process.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Nearly two years ago, the Cougar Ace, a 900-ft long ship loaded with more than 4,700 brand-new Mazdas, tipped over while transferring ballast in the North Pacific just south of Alaska. The huge ship took on water, but since there was no breach in the hull it remained afloat. Within days, a salvage team was called aboard to attempt a rescue of the stricken car carrier.

Listing nearly 90-degrees to one side, the massive Cougar Ace was towed and moored in Wide Bay before it was finally stabilized and nearly fully righted a month later. The ship was eventually saved, but tragically a member of the salvage team was killed during the recovery operation. While Mazda reported little damage to the vehicles on board, in December of that year it made the decision to scrap all of the vehicles that were stranded on the Cougar Ace. This month, after sitting in a huge parking lot for more than a year, 4,703 of the Cougar Ace Mazdas were dropped into a 50-foot-tall shredder in Oregon and finally destroyed.

Wired magazine just published an interesting in-depth article about the salvage operation to recover the Cougar Ace. It's a long read, but we're bloggers with the attention span of a gnat and got through it just fine.

[Source: Wired]

Mazda just announced that it has decided to scrap all 4,703 vehicles that were aboard the Cougar Ace cargo vessel when it nearly capsized off the Aleutian Islands in Alaska back in late July. The shipping vessel sat listing to one side for over a month before it was towed to and repaired at a port in Oregon. During that time, the vehicles on board, comprised of the Mazda3 small car and CX-7 crossover, were tied down at severe angles. Mazda had previously told us it would inspect all the vehicles and sell most as used with full disclosure, considering that many showed little or no signs of damage. Regardless, Mazda reconsidered and the announcement that the entire shipment would be scrapped came today from Jim O'Sullivan, Mazda North America's President and CEO.

The decision not to sell any of the vehicles that were aboard the Cougar Ace must have been difficult to make, considering that we estimate the hull of the ship contained over $103 million worth of vehicles (60 percent of the vehicles on board were the more expensive CX-7, so we assumed a conservate per unit average MSRP of $22,000). Not that we're criticizing Mazda for scrapping the entire shipment, but the destruction of 4,703 vehicles, at least some if not most of which are salveagable, seems like a waste. We're sure there are plenty of non-profit organizations and charities that would be grateful to take these vehicles off of Mazda's hands.

You can read Mazda's full press release concerning the matter after the jump.

For those who haven't been following the story of the Cougar Ace, check out the post trail below.

• Cargo ship Cougar Ace tips over: 4,700 Mazdas aboard
• Cougar Ace moored in Wide Bay as salvage continues
• Cougar Ace salvage operation turns deadly
• Look who's up: Cougar ace stabilized and almost fully righted
• Cougar Ace: Could some of her Mazdas be saleable?
• Cougar Ace Update: No Mazdas aboard will be sold as new

With memories of last July's Cougar Ace disaster presumably heavy on their minds, Mazda just shipped out their first batch of new Mazda CX-9 CUVs from Hiroshima to North America. This time the crossing will be aboard the Coral Leader car carrier. It left Hiroshima yesterday for its voyage to California via Tacoma. The ship is expected to reach the U.S. before the New Year. With the Cougar Ace's payload of Mazda3s and CX-7s ultimately written off, we can only hope that this batch of vehicles, which includes the new 7-passenger CX-9, will have a much less eventful crossing. Bon Voyage.

The two-row, 5-passenger CX-7 has been something of a hit for Mazda with its stylish good looks and equally attractive combination of good performance and affordable pricing. The bigger CX-9 is hoping to be just as endearing in the ever more popular three-row segment. When they finally hit U.S. showrooms in late January, the sticker on the CX-9s will read $29,035 and up. That's the base price for the front-drive Sport model. There's also going to be Touring and Grand Touring versions with awd available across all trim levels. No matter which one you pick, you get Ford's award-winning corporate 3.5-liter V6 mated to a 6-speed auto trans. In this Mazda CUV, the engine is rated at 250 hp. It was designed primarily for the U.S., but it is also rumored to be on its way to Australia in 2008.

[Source: Just-Autos, sub req]

Mazda has announced that none of the 4,700+ vehicles aboard the ill-fated cargo ship Cougar Ace will be sold as new vehicles. According to a press release issued by the automaker a short time ago, cars that are damaged beyond repair will be scrapped immediately. Cars that are deemed fixable and saleable, however, could be sold through Mazda's dealer network as used vehicles. Mazda stresses that no decision on saleability will be made until after the full load of vehicles is unloaded and inspected in Portland, OR. Cougar Ace left Alaska under tow on 9/1 and is expected to arrive in Oregon tomorrow.

For its part, Mazda is being completely transparent about this and will publish the complete list of VIN numbers for every vehicle aboard the ship at MazdaUSA.com and their Canadian site, Mazda.ca, As has been stated before, the cargo consists mostly of Mazda3s and Mazda CX-7s.

Cougar Ace suffered a near-catastrophic mishap on July 23 when an error during reballasting at sea sent the vessel into a steep list. She stayed afloat, however, and her crew was rescued. Sadly, an accident on board claimed the life of Marty Johnson, a naval architect working on the salvage team that ultimately righted the ship off the Alaskan coast in late August.

We're pleased to see that Mazda is handling this the right way. Publicizing the VIN list is a great good faith measure, and doing so inoculates them from accusations of trying to pass on damaged goods to customers. In fact, we wonder if the list will actually help them close a few deals along the way (assuming some cars are in repairable condition).

Think about it: given their history, some may view the cars on board as odd collectibles -- reminders of a fascinating and dramatic maritime event. In this case, the VIN list serves as irrefutable proof of the cars' backgrounds.

Still, you won't find us lining up for one if they show up in dealerships. We prefer cars whose trips across the ocean are more boring and uneventful.

(Press release after the jump)

[Source: Mazda]

The latest news regarding the cargo of Mazdas aboard the now-righted M/V Cougar Ace is that preparations are underway to tow the ship to Portland, Oregon, where it can undergo repairs and there are facilities able to take on its entire load of cars.

The cars will be inspected thoroughly to determine if any are still saleable, a possibility that exists despite the fact that they spent the last two weeks hanging on their sides. According to the Coast Guard, "there was minimal damage to the cars." This flies in the face of other reports that state that vehicle damage has been sustained on all decks, so the upshot of it all is that no one really knows anything definitive yet.

Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes told the ADN, "We don't have a car count as to what is salable and what condition they are in. It all depends on what we find when we get in." There's a lot of wiggle room in that statement. While it allows for the possibility of saleable vehicles, Mazda could just as easily write the whole lot off.

Frankly, we don't understand why Mazda would even broach the topic of vehicle saleability before having their own people inspect the offloaded cargo firsthand. This is sure to be a very delicate topic, as potential customers are going to be asking hard questions about the origins of the vehicles they're considering. Reasonable or not, we wouldn't exactly be thrilled to learn that the new Mazda we're about to drive home of spent the better part of a month hanging on its side in a crippled cargo ship.

In fact, it'd probably be a dealbreaker. We're betting we aren't alone in that sentiment. We'll keep following the story closely.

Thanks M steele for the tip!

[Source: Anchorage Daily News]

The Cougar Ace shipping vessel that began listing severely on July 23rd off the coast of Alaska has finally been righted and is safely moored at Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands. The Cougar Ace's cargo of 4,700 Mazda vehicles will likely be unsalvageable, as CargoLaw.com is reporting "most decks suffered vehicle damage and all vehicles must be re-secured". After the vehicles have been re-secured, the next step will be to tow the vessel to a discharging port.

A groundswell of support has also arisen to honor Marty Johnson, the salvage worker who lost his life after slipping and falling from the Cougar Ace, by renaming the ship the M/V Marty Johnson. Those interested in supporting this effort can email cargonews@aol.com for information on how to contribute to the cause.

[Source: Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and CargoLaw]

Related posts:
Cougar Ace moored in Wide Bay as salvage continues
Cougar Ace salvage operation turns deadly
Cargo ship Cougar Ace tips over, 4,700 Mazdas aboard

Weekend Update

The beleagured cargo ship Cougar Ace is now tied up to moorings belonging to the Icicle Seafood Company in Wide Bay, Unalaska Island. Swells caused the salvage team to cease operations earlier in the week, and the decision was made to relocate the Cougar Ace to the moorings in Wide Bay.

With the ship now safely moored, the salvage team has renewed pumping operations, and as of the last USCG report, her list has been measured at 58 degrees. Cougar Ace is carrying a load of some 4,700 Mazda vehicles in her hold.

Autoblog commenters add to the story

As Autoblog has covered the ongoing Cougar Ace story, our readers have submitted some valuable contributions of their own through the comments section. The breadth of content has been very impressive, including dealer-side insight regarding the cargo makeup, a report on the interior conditions from a purported member of the salvage team, a tribute from a friend to Marty Johnson, the engineer who lost his life in a tragic accident on board, and thoughts from a parent of a young man serving on the Coast Guard cutter that later transported Mr. Johnson's body.

The added perspective these commenters have provided is invaluable, and we at Autoblog are very thankful for your efforts.

Related Posts:

• Cargo ship Cougar Ace tips over, 4,700 Mazdas aboard
• Cougar Ace salvage operation turns deadly

[Source: US Coast Guard]

In what can only be described as a tragic turn of events, a naval architect on the salvage team working to stabilize the Mazda-laden cargo ship, Cougar Ace, was killed after he lost his footing and fell on Monday.

Seattle area resident Marty Johnson, age 40, had completed a survey of the vessel with his team and was preparing to disembark when he slipped and fell approximately 80 feet. He was knocked unconscious and attempts to resuscitate him on board were unsuccessful. He was taken by helicopter to the US Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau, where he was pronounced dead.

This horrific episode illustrates just how dangerous the Cougar Ace salvage operation is. Our condolences go out to Mr. Johnson's family.

[Sources: US Coast Guard, KOMO TV, Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

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)