Waiting for the Japanese car you ordered from the dealer? It may soon be at the bottom of the Pacific.
The Japanese car ship M.V. COUGAR ACE which is carrying nearly 5,000 cars from Japan to Canada is badly listing, nearly on its side in the north Pacific near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. U.S. Coast Guard officials have ordered the crew to abandon ship and are planning to send helicopters and other rescue craft to pick up the 22-crew members.
There has been previous sinkings of car carriers. In December 2002 the Norwegian cargo ship Tricolor carrying over specially ordered Volvos, BMWs and Saabs destined for Britain and the U.S, worth nearly $48 million US sank in the English Channel after colliding with a freighter. Located in shallow, heavily trafficked waters, the ship was salvaged the next year, but not before the wreck was hit by three other ships including an oil tanker. A giant underwater saw was used to cut the ship into nine pieces, which were than raised to the surface for recycling. The cars were also raised and scrapped.