Crowley to salvage MOL ro-ro vessel

Crowley to salvage MOL ro-ro vessel    Japanese ocean freight line Mitsui O.S.K. said it has hired Titan, a subsidiary of Oakland-based Crowley Maritime Corp., to salvage the disabled car carrier 'Cougar Ace' from the North Pacific.
   A Titan tug departed Seattle Tuesday night and is expected to reach the abandoned ship on August 2. Plans call for the tug to tow the roll-on/roll-off vessel to an undisclosed port, where MOL will conduct a complete investigation.
   The U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska Air National Guard rescued all 23 crewmembers from the air. The 55,328-gross-ton vessel is carrying 4,813 vehicles that were to be delivered to the Fraser River Port near Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as the Port of Tacoma and Port Hueneme on the U.S. West Coast.
   The vessel remains on its side, but is stable, according to MOL and the Coast Guard.
   MOL said, based on the captain's report, it believes instability created during a procedure to adjust the water level in the ship's ballast tanks caused the sudden list.