Somebody mentioned Toyota lost 4,700 cars at sea, but this..

July 28, 2006

Vancouver, British Columbia - The fate of thousands of Mazda cars was
uncertain this week after the ship carrying them to North America rolled
on its side in the Pacific Ocean.

The Cougar Ace rolled sideways when the massive ship's ballast tank was
adjusted.

The automaker had 4700 vehicles aboard the automobile carrier Cougar Ace
that began taking on water on Sunday and listed so heavily that the 23
crew had to be rescued by the US Coast Guard.

The 199.3m Mitsui O.S.K. Lines ship was still afloat on Wednesday with
its keel and propeller out of the water and did not appear to be sinking.

A Coast Guard cutter was standing by near the Cougar Ace, about 370km
south of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, and waiting for a salvage ship to
arrive.

Mazda imports most of its vehicles to North America from Japan. The
shipment aboard the Cougar Ace was bound for Vancouver in British
Columbia, Tacoma in Washington and then Port Hueneme near Ventura in
California, said Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes.

More than half the cars on board are Mazda 3 models, the automaker's best-
selling vehicle. Another quarter of the cars are Mazda's 2007 CX7
crossovers, Barnes added.

"We don't know the condition of the cargo or whether it will have to be
scrapped."

The Coast Guard said nobody was allowed on the ship but the agency said
it was making preparations in case the salvage company wanted to tow the
Cougar Ace into Alaskan waters. - Reuters