JOC 25/7/06

Car-carrier crew rescued

The Coast Guard on Monday rescued all 23 crewmembers of the MOL auto carrier Cougar Ace that was taking on water south of the Aleutian Islands.

The helicopter operation began just after 9 p.m. local time and ended around 10 p.m. The crew was comprised of two Singaporeans, eight Myanmars, and 13 Filipinos, MOL said.

The only reported injury was a crewmember with a broken leg who was to be treated in Anchorage, Alaska.

The remaining crewmembers were to spend the night in Kodiak.

The 55,328-ton vessel, carrying finished automobiles from Japan to the U.S. West Coast, on Monday sent a message about 5 p.m. that it was listing heavily to port and had become crippled, MOL said.

The carrier said the cause of the incident is under investigation.