4,000+ Luxury Cars Worth $401 Million Sunk: The World's Worst Largest Car Carrier Roro Ship Disaster

hello welcome to nimbuz In the maritime shipping world, sometimes the  sea tells stories of tragic losses and major disasters. The Felicity Ace, a ship loaded with  luxury cars, ended up in a massive fire, resulting in losses of hundreds of millions. Similarly, MV  Golden Ray and Cougar Ace suffered unfortunate fates due to human error and equipment failures,  causing environmental and financial damages. Let's explore the mysteries and lessons from the  most severe and costliest RoRo ship traged

ies in the world. HOEGH OSAKA. On January 3, 2015, the maritime world witnessed  one of the most remarkable car carrier ship accidents. Hoegh Osaka, a car carrier owned by the  Norwegian company Hoegh Autoliners, was involved in a dramatic accident while sailing from the port  of Southampton, England, to Bremerhaven, Germany. This incident occurred when Hoegh Osaka suddenly  developed a severe list. This condition caused the ship's steering and propellers to be  lifted out of the water, ultima

tely grounding the vessel on Bramble Bank near the Isle of  Wight. This extreme list posed a significant risk to the ship's stability and cargo safety. The ship was carrying a cargo consisting of buses, construction equipment, and luxury cars such as  Range Rovers and Rolls-Royces, totaling around 1,400 vehicles. After intensive salvage efforts,  Hoegh Osaka was successfully rescued and towed back to Southampton, where its list was reduced  to 5 degrees, and the cargo could be unloaded. This i

ncident highlighted the importance  of stability management in car carrier ship operations. Although there were no  casualties in this incident, financial losses and potential environmental damage were  the primary concerns. The Hoegh Osaka incident serves as a valuable lesson in the shipping  industry about the importance of safety and strict operational procedures. MV GOLDEN RAY. MV Golden Ray, a South Korean-flagged cargo  ship operating since 2017 and designed to transport vehicles, experi

enced a tragic event  on September 8, 2019. Departing from Brunswick, Georgia, to Baltimore, Maryland, the ship carried  approximately 4,200 vehicles, including Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Land Rover. The ship  suffered a steering system failure, causing it to capsize near St. Simons Sound, Jekyll Island. Out of 24 crew members, 20 were quickly rescued, while the remaining four were trapped and had  to be evacuated by cutting through the ship's hull. The National Transportation Safety  Bo

ard (NTSB) identified critical ballast management errors as the primary cause, with  stability calculation mistakes made by the ship's senior officer using ballast software. Most vehicles inside the ship were severely damaged or destroyed, with fuel and chemicals  leaking into the surrounding waters. The process of cleaning up and dismantling the ship began in  November 2020, with the ship being cut into eight large sections for disposal. COUGAR ACE. The Cougar Ace, a Singaporean-flagged shi

p with  a capacity of approximately 5,000 vehicles, experienced an accident on July 23, 2006, during  its journey from Nagoya, Japan, to Vancouver, Canada. Carrying around 4,700 brand-new  Mazda vehicles, the ship encountered a ballast water transfer error near the Aleutian  Islands, Alaska, causing it to list severely. Despite rescue efforts, the ship remained tilted  and at risk of sinking. The US Navy, Coast Guard, and other vessels successfully  rescued the 23 crew members. After nearly a mo

nth, the ship was  stabilized and towed to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, for further inspection. Mazda decided not  to sell the vehicles damaged due to the incident. The losses from this incident were estimated to  be around $103 million, not including the cost of rescue operations. FELICITY ACE. In February 2022, the world witnessed a  major loss with the sinking of the car carrier Felicity Ace. Operated by Mitsui O.S.K.  Lines, the ship experienced a massive fire in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

on February  16 and eventually sank on March 1 near the Azores Islands. This incident garnered global  attention as the ship was carrying thousands of luxury cars worth millions of dollars. Felicity Ace, weighing 60,000 tons, carried around 4,000 vehicles from renowned  brands like Porsche, Audi, Volkswagen, Bentley, and Lamborghini. Among them were 1,100 Porsche  cars and 189 Bentley vehicles. Financial losses due to this accident were estimated  between $334 million to $401 million. All 22 c

rew members were safely evacuated, but  the ship and its cargo couldn't be saved. This accident raised concerns about the potential  environmental impact as the ship carried around 2,200 tons of fuel and oil, in addition to  various other materials like metal components, plastic, electrical cables, and paint. The cause of the fire was strongly suspected to be related to lithium batteries used in  electric vehicles, but there is no concrete evidence confirming this to date. The fire was  succes

sfully controlled by the salvage team from Smit Salvage, but the ship's large size made  the towing effort to the Azores impractical. This tragedy occurred amid the global supply  chain crisis faced by the automotive industry, including labor shortages due to the  pandemic, semiconductor shortages, and other issues. With this significant loss,  the global automotive industry faced additional challenges in meeting high market demand,  especially in the United States, where the ship was supposed t

o dock. MV Baltic Ace. On December 5, 2012, a shocking maritime tragedy  occurred in the North Sea. The car carrier ship MV Baltic Ace collided with the container ship  Corvus J. This incident, which took place 25 nautical miles off the coast of the Netherlands,  became one of the deadliest and costliest RoRo ship accidents in modern maritime history. MV Baltic Ace, operated by Euro Marine Logistics, was en route from Zeebrugge, Belgium, to Kotka,  Finland. Tragically, the ship was carrying

a cargo of 1,400 Mitsubishi cars destined for  the Russian market. Within 15 minutes of the collision, Baltic Ace sank in shallow waters. Poor weather conditions at the time complicated search and rescue efforts. Out of 24 crew members  on board MV Baltic Ace, 13 were rescued, while the rest became victims of this horrific incident. The wreckage of the ship lying on the seabed at a depth of only 35 meters posed a serious  threat to other vessels passing through the area. As a result, in 2014

, the Dutch  company Royal Boskalis initiated the salvage operation of the ship's wreck. Using the same  techniques applied to the MV Tricolor ship, Baltic Ace's wreckage was cut into eight pieces  and transported to a Dutch port for disposal. This incident not only serves as a dark chapter  due to the loss of human lives but also because of the significant financial losses incurred. The  loss of thousands of new Mitsubishi cars added to the material losses resulting from this accident.  The MV

Baltic Ace tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safety and careful  navigation at sea, as well as the risks inherent in large-scale maritime transportation. Sincerity Ace. At the end of 2018, the shipping world faced  one of the most tragic incidents of the past decade. The car carrier ship Sincerity Ace,  en route from Yokohama, Japan, to Honolulu, experienced a massive fire on December 31.  The fire engulfed 3,500 Nissan vehicles being transported, resulting in significant

  material losses for the automotive industry. The fire occurred in the middle of the  open Pacific Ocean, making rescue efforts extremely challenging. Poor weather conditions  with strong winds and high waves added to the difficulties of the rescue operation. Out of 21  crew members, 16 were rescued, but unfortunately, four were found unresponsive in the  water, and one remained missing. More than four years after the incident, the  Sincerity Ace tragedy is still remembered as a stark warning a

bout the risks of transporting  vehicles, especially electric vehicles, on car carrier ships. The cause of the  fire has not been fully revealed yet.