4,700 Cougar Ace Cars To Be Scrapped

December 16th, 2006

Irvine, CA - Mazda has decided to scrap all of the cars from the ill-fated Cougar Ace car transport that listed so far over that it had to be towed over 200 miles to Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Mazda has decided to scrap all of the cars from the ill-fated Cougar Ace car transport that listed so far over that it had to be towed over 200 miles to Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Mazda Press Release: 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.

"We always put the customer first," O'Sullivan continued. "This drove our decision to scrap every one of the Mazdas involved in this incident."

Coast Guard rescues crewmembers from sinking ship, Cougar Ace, near Aleutian Islands, Alaska