ShipSpotting.com Forum
Shipspotters all over the world => Shipping News and information => Topic started by: Tomas Pinas on July 25, 2006, 06:44:17 AM
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http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/uriks/article1398526.ece
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Photos and a video of the sinking ship can be seen on
http://www.uscgalaska.com/go/doc/780/125809/
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Associated Press (AP) reports that all 23 crew members are rescued and under way to Adak Island in the Aleutians, 230 miles north of the Cougar Ace.
All crew members were rescued with 2 National Guard Pave Hawk helicopters and a Coast Guard helicopter. The rescue was conducted in "very challenging weather". There were 10-foot seas whipping the ship, wich was listed nearly on its side.
The Cougar Ace began listing in the turbulent Pacific Ocean late Sunday night, when the crew sent out an SOS. It is not yet known what had caused the ship to list. Its crew didn't know where the water came into the vessel.
greetz,
frederik
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Our Ikan Juara has been on standby next to the Cougar Ace and will post some of the pics which the master sent in to the office
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what I find so strange is that, despite that the vessel is lying on her side, she does not seem to be taking a lot of water. Is she loaded or empty?
Brgds.
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She is loaded.
According to a US Coastguard statement, she is carrying "almost 5,000 cars" from Japan to Canada.
That would be 5,000 very wet & soggy cars in need of a good paint job, I suppose!
Kelvin
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Hello everybody,
I want to forecast, that the loaded cars never will be sold. Am I right when i say, there is salted water? That alone makes the chassis rusty, as you surely know.
Best regards
Torben
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I am looking for a new car. Wife says I can use her hairdryer.
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Hi Torben,
If the ship is recovered, you can be sure that the car manufacturer will do all it can to make sure these cars aren't sold anymore (not even parts of them). This is exactly because of the salt water damage. For similar reason, the recovery of the TRICOLOR wreck was surrounded by so much security measures. BMW and Volvo did not want dodgy people to steal parts from the damaged cars and sell them as spares in the market...
Brgds.
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Today "de Lloyd" reports that the Cougar Ace is still floating. According to some reports the Cougar Ace is listing but stable and MOL plans to tow the vessel to a safe port and try to save the cargo.
greetz,
frederik
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This Website (http://www.solentwaters.co.uk/Vessel%20Types/Vessel%20Types%202/page2.html) shows pictures of the cargo decks [about halfway down the page] and how vehicles are loaded out. Suffice it to say, most of the vehicles will be structurally write-offs as the straps are at best designed for only minimal side loading. More than likely the remains will be shipped back to the factory to recycle the mechanical and electrical parts.
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You could dismantle one and put the bits in the oven! :-D
As a new member could someone out there point me in the direction of photos of the Tricolour salvage?
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Hi,
you can go to http://www.tricolorsalvage.com or see the casualties-section here on shipspotting.
greetz,
frederik
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Thank you Frederik.
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Anything new on the "Cougar Ace"? It reminds a little bit on the "Flying Enterprise" which developed a list Dec 1951 off the US-coast. All of the passengers and the crew but the captain were rescued. Captain Carlsen remained on board the severely listing ship and was later joined by Kenneth Dancy of the tug "Turmoil". They tried desperately for almost two weeks to get the ship into port, but on Jan 10, 1952, the ship finally had to be abandoned, capsized and sank.
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Wasn't that offshore the UK coast instead of US? There is still a story abt some ''top secret materials'' on board then (and still is).Position of wreck is known.....
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I just got this story thru a daily news email I get from MarineLink....http://www.marinelink.com/Story/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=203930
So Mazda won't lose any money on this deal, except from maybe a few disgruntled people who might not be willing to delay their new car purchase for another shipload to arrive from Japan.
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Latest Cougar Ace news and some photos at Alaska Department of Enviromental Conservation (http://www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/perp/response/sum_fy07/060728201/060728201_index.htm). This is a very good information source. They even have the Tank Capacity Plan and General Arrangements in PDF.
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Current situation as of 3 August, 2006
The Crowley tug Sea Victory arrived from Seattle, WA (via Dutch Harbor for fuel) and has taken over the tow of the Cougar Ace from the Emma Foss and is heading towards Samalga Pass (west of Umnak Island) at 2.5 knots. After going through the pass, the tow's planned curved course towards Dutch Harbor will keep it out of at least a 50 mile radius from Bogoslof; ie - close to 75 miles from the nearest point of land. Coincidently, this is the very same area that the ill-fated bulker Selendang Ayu lost power and ultimately grounded and broke in two in December of 2004. The Sea Victory is ultimately heading for a point about 50 miles due north of Dutch Harbor and its ETA is about 0400 ADT (1300 GMT) on 08 August.
The Cougar Ace does not appear to be sinking, but weather conditions have deteriorated to the point that it has not been safe enough to land any teams onboard (both by air and sea). The weekend is supposed to stay rough due to a bunck of small low pressure systems that will pass through the area. A ridge of high pressure will move in early next week and should help calm things down.
The Emma Foss is still tanding by with the Sea Victory and can assist in the tow if necessary. The Crowley tug Gladiator is underway from Anacortes, WA and will arrive the evening of August 6th. The Gladiator will relieve the Emma Foss. Because of the odd characteristics of the tow and the swell conditions, the crew of the Sea Victory is having to manually steer, occasionally requiring up to 15-20 degrees of rudder to keep on course. They are taking 6x6 shifts in the wheelhouse.
If the weather holds enough, salvage crews will keep trying to right the vessel. Cargo nets are being brought in and will be placed within the Cougar Ace to ease movement inside the listed vessel. Two portable pumps have already been placed on the Cougar Ace with the intention of filling the No. 5 ballast tank. A third pump was unable to be put onboard today (due to weather conditions). If the weather does not hold, crews may have to wait until the tow has transited Samalga Pass and is in the lee of Umnak Island.
As for the cargo, two of the fourteen decks were inspected and the cargo was found to be in place. Unfortunately, during that inspection on July 30, a naval architect from Seattle slipped and fell about 80 feet and was knocked unconscious. Subsequent efforts to revive him on a USCG cuter failed and he was pronounced dead.
The vessels Makushin Bay and Redeemer are also on site, assisting. The USCGC Morgenthau is on site and the USCGC Sycamore is on its way with a naval architect and salvage team members onboard.
More info, including photos, can be found in the link below:
Unified Command -- M/V Cougar Ace (http://www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/perp/response/sum_fy07/060728201/060728201_index.htm)
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i looked at the web site from the us coast guard and the photos of the cougar ace are good photos but she is in very bad postion since she is listing. there is report in vancouver sun newspaper here in vancouver that her port she was bound for is new westmisnter on the fraser river is posible port that she wil be towed to. if does happen that she is towed to her her port of new westminster wich is suberb of vancouver would be great to get photo of her towed up the fraser river . the last time we had car carrier towed into port was in aug 2004 wich the car carrier ENSHIN was towed from out in the pacfic from the japan regesrty tug kiwo maru to her port on the faser river then towed her back to japan. so wil have to see if this happens agian the cougar ace is towed to here and back to japan.
robert
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Update:
The Sea Victory has continued the tow uneventfully for the last few days, but lost some ground today and (as of 1000 LT 07 August) was dead in the water about 15 miles west of Skan Bay - where the Selendang Ayu wreck is. Visibility is two miles, with rain forecasted. Weather conditions for the next three days call for winds from 15 - 25 knots, 8 - 9 foot seas and rain.
The intended tow route is keeping the Cougar Ace at least 10nm from any point of land, with at least three "environmentally sensitive" areas where the tow under no controllable circumstances should be allowed to stop.
On the morning of 07 August, the salvage crew was able to board the Cougar Ace and begin the pumping operation of emptying car deck #9 of water and filling up ballast tank #5 on the starboard side.
The USCGC Morgenthau, USCGC Sycamore, M/V Redeemer, M/V Makushin Bay, tug Gladiator, and tug Emma Foss continue to escort the tow.
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Updated pictures taken 08.08.2006 on the Unified Command web site (http://www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/perp/response/sum_fy07/060728201/gallery/060728201_gal_02/index.htm).
Best regards
Mats
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The pumping of ballast is working. The latest photos show that the list has been reduced to less than 20 degrees. This has been a remarkable operation, aided, of course, by three weeks of mild weather.
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/perp/response/sum_fy07/060728201/060728201_index.htm
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Great news on uprighting ship. I just hope they have not damaged my car :-D :-D :-D
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Does anyone agree that the design of the Ship'! Having such a flat bottom it was an accident waiting to happen?
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Colin,
Not sure what you mean. All cargo ships have flat bottoms like this. That includes passenger ships (including the biggest cruise liners) for that matter.
The challenging part of the PCTC (car carrier) design is the vessel's height and the fact that the cargo is more or less evenly distributed between the decks, meaning the centre of gravity is quite high. It is lowered through the use of ballast water, but too much of it appears to have been pumped from "Cougar Ace", and this apparently led to the dramatic list.
Best regards
Mats
Oslo
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It made the boat Top Heavy inturn it listed