Salvors right ôCougar Aceö
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines reported that salvage teams have successfully pumped water out of the disabled car carrier 'Cougar Ace' and nearly righted the vessel to its normal level.
The vessel is moored in Wide Bay, northwest of Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island.
Salvors from Titan Maritime are preparing to tow the roll-on/roll-off vessel to an undisclosed port for repairs and discharge of its cargo, some of which is likely damaged.
The auto transport ship rolled on its side south of the Aleutian Islands three weeks ago with a load of nearly 5,000 vehicles on its way to West Coast ports in Canada and the United States. The company suspects a ballast water adjustment left the ship vulnerable to a big wave that knocked the ship over. Tug boats towed the vessel to a calmer resting place in the Bering Sea to allow the completion of pumping and ballast tank refilling operations.