Remember the Cougar Ace? Back in July 2006, the Singapore-flagged car-carrying ship developed a 80+ degree list while sailing off the coast of Alaska with a full load of brand-new Mazda automobiles on board. The crew was rescued, but one naval architect died during the salvage effort after slipping on one of the tilted decks. Eventually the ship was righted and brought into port, at which point Mazda was left to figure out what to do with the 4,703 cars (mostly Mazda3s, CX-7s, and a few RX-8s and MX-5s) that were aboard when it tipped over. There was some talk of selling the intact vehicles -- Autoblog estimates the cargo was worth $103 million -- but now the decision has been made to scrap the whole lot. From Mazda's press release today:
IRVINE, Calif. — Mazda Motor Corporation today announced that all of the U.S.- and Canada-bound Mazda vehicles from the car-carrying vessel, Cougar Ace, which nearly capsized off the Aleutian Islands in late July, would be scrapped.
“After thorough testing by engineers from our North American and Japanese R&D centers, we decided the most appropriate course of action – with our customers foremost in mind – was not to sell any of the 4,703 Mazdas aboard the ship,” said Jim O’Sullivan, President and CEO of Mazda North American Operations, based in Irvine, Calif.
The Cougar Ace sat listing at more than 60-degrees for nearly a month after an incident at sea, before it could be towed to the Port of Portland, Ore., for repairs and to have its cargo off-loaded.
O’Sullivan added that although some of the Mazdas aboard the Cougar Ace showed little or no visible damage from being tied-down at severe angles for an extended period, the potential for future problems led the company to reconsider its initial decision to sell any of the vehicles as used.
"All Mazda Vehicle from Car-Carrying Vessel Cougar Ace to be Scrapped" (Mazda press release): LINK
The Cougar Ace (Wikipedia entry): LINK
(Photo above, ADEC -- J. Brown)
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Posted by: hello | 17 March 2008 at 11:30 AM