?Cougar Ace? heads for Portland

ôCougar Aceö heads for Portland The 'Cougar Ace' car carrier loaded with more than 4,800 Mazda vehicles that rolled on its side in the North Pacific last month will be towed to the Port of Portland, Ore., for repairs, according to the Associated Press.
   The vessel was uprighted 10 days ago at a protected mooring north of Dutch Harbor off the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. In the last couple of days, salvors from Titan Maritime have pumped extra water into the ballast tanks to right the ship all the way.
   Preliminary examination of the cargo decks indicate that many cars escaped damage and that there only appears to be minor damage to some cars, Greg Beuerman, a spokesman for Japanese vessel operator Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, told Shippers’ Newswire. A full cargo examination will be conducted by MOL and Mazda representatives when the 'Cougar Ace' gets to port.
   A Coast Guard official supported that assessment, telling the AP that “there was minimal damage to the cars,” primarily in the form of seawater that seeped in around the wheels of some vehicles. Straps held the cars in place so they didn’t slam into each other when the vessel rolled.