Getting a car delivered to you can be a nerve-wracking affair wrapped in uncertainty these days, largely due to supply chain issues disrupting schedules across the globe. Customers in Russia, however, are facing a different issue today as their shiny new cars arrived encased in 4-inch (10cm) shells of ice.
A cargo ship named Sun Rio sailed from South Korea (other sources say Japan) to Vladivostok when it suddenly hit a violent storm accompanied by the air temperature dropping into sub-zero realm. As a result, any water that splashed over the board immediately clung to the cargo on the top deck in an icy layer. Select examples ended up buried under as many as 100 millimeters (4 inches) of ice.
The shipment reportedly consisted exclusively of Japanese cars, largely the Honda Fit/Jazz and the Toyota Tank/Roomy. To free from their icy prison, seamen used every means at hand ranging from melting chemical reagents to old trusty crowbars.
The scope is damage has not yet been assessed.