U.S.-bound Car Carrier on Fire In Pacific; Said to Hold Nissans

The mundane process of shipping thousands of vehicles from overseas factories to domestic ports, ahead of distribution to dealers, still contains an element of risk. And few situations are as feared by sailors as a fire at sea.

Reports are rolling in about the fate of the Sincerity Ace, a Panamanian-flagged car carrier en route from Japan to the United States. Ablaze and adrift in the mid Pacific, the ship, which has a capacity of 5,200 vehicles, has been abandoned. A rescue is underway, as is a salvage operation.

According to Automotive News, the ship’s captain reported a fire Monday morning. The 10-year-old ship, chartered to Mistui OSK Lines by owner Shoei Kisen Kaisha, reportedly loaded its cargo at Nissan terminals in Japan and was en route to its first stop in Honolulu, Hawaii, when the fire broke out. Other ports of call on the ship’s itinerary included Mexico and stops along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.

Nissan hasn’t confirmed its products were aboard the stricken ship.

While 16 members of the Sincerity Ace‘s crew were reportedly rescued by merchant vessels responding to the distress call, U.S. Coast Guard aircraft are scouring the rough seas for others. Seatrade Maritime News reports two missing crewmen, with three others presumed dead. Ocean swells in the are are said to be 15 to 18 feet high.

“Three of the five missing mariners reportedly were located but remain in the water as they are unresponsive and unable to grab onto life-saving equipment to be brought aboard,” the USCG told the shipping publication. “The owners of the Sincerity Ace are coordinating with the merchant vessels for the transport of the rescued mariners. A salvage plan is being formalized and commercial tugs have been dispatched by the company.”

The ship is still on fire, the Coast Guard reports. As for the cause of the blaze, that remains a mystery.

[Image: Nissan]