UPDATE 3: Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) notes today in a statement on their website that a salvage company has been formally contracted to perform the salvage of the two floating halves of the MOL Comfort. They didn’t specify which company, but information we’ve attained seems to point to SMIT.
We’ve reached out to them this morning to confirm.
In addition, crew members from the ill-fated vessel arrived in the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka today.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 19, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean,
• Vessel
The aft part is drifting near 13'00"N 61'29"E in an east-northeast direction. The status of the fore part is to be confirmed while the visibility is limited due to adverse weather. The patrol boat which has departed Port of Jebel Ali, U.A.E. on June 19, as mentioned in the Update (No.3), is expected to arrive at the ocean site on June 24.
• Containers
Some of the containers might be lost or damaged during the incident, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the aft part. The status of the fore part is to be confirmed.
• Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company and are proceeding to rescue the cargo and hulls.
• Oil leakage
We confirmed no large volume of oil leakage.
• Vessel
The aft part is drifting near 13'00"N 61'29"E in an east-northeast direction. The status of the fore part is to be confirmed while the visibility is limited due to adverse weather. The patrol boat which has departed Port of Jebel Ali, U.A.E. on June 19, as mentioned in the Update (No.3), is expected to arrive at the ocean site on June 24.
• Containers
Some of the containers might be lost or damaged during the incident, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the aft part. The status of the fore part is to be confirmed.
• Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company and are proceeding to rescue the cargo and hulls.
• Oil leakage
We confirmed no large volume of oil leakage.
Five other vessels share MOL Comfort design, says shipbuilder
MITSUBISHI Heavy Industries has confirmed that it built six boxships with the same design as MOL Comfort, the breaking up of which has drawn attention to how the vessel was constructed
June 20
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Press-release June 20
TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 19, 2013.
1.Vessel
The aft part is drifting near 13 00N 61 29E in an east-northeast direction. The status of the fore part is to be confirmed while the visibility is limited due to adverse weather.
2.Containers
Some of the containers might be lost or damaged during the incident, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the aft part. The status of the fore part is to be confirmed.
3.Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company and are proceeding to rescue the cargo and hulls.
Maritime Bulletin:
Drift 20 nautical miles East in 13 hours period from 0100 to 1400UTC June 19.
How on earth does a 5 year old 90,000 ton containership, built by one of Japan’s finest shipyards and operated by a tip-top liner company, come to be floating in two bits 19 miles apart?
Weather?
Welding?
Perhaps one of those 100 year waves the Met. Offices are warning us are rather more frequent?
The smart money must surely be on the stresses induced by under-declared container weights, which shippers routinely refuse to take with any seriousness whatever.
Always supposing that there is a good run through the IMO, it has been suggested that it could be another three or four years before SOLAS Regulation VI/2 which provides for the “verification” of container weights, comes into effect. As the distinguished delegates undertake their deliberations on this matter a huge picture of the after part of the MOL Comfort sitting forlornly in the Arabian Gulf might usefully be displayed on the Council Chamber screens to help and focus their minds.
It is now more than six years since the emergency in the English Channel when the MSC Napoli nearly sank through an ingress of water.
It is worth underlining the views of the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch, which painstakingly required all the boxes retrieved from the wreck to be weighed, and note its suggestion that overweight boxes contributed to the loss of that ship.
Wheels often grind slowly in marine safety mills, but there have surely been enough warnings about excessive container weights to wake everyone up. Feeders have been regularly rolling over, fortunately in shallow water or against the quay. This clearly expensive incident which has put 25 lives and more than 4000 containers at risk ought to clarify the issues.
But we shouldn’t bet on it.
Shippers’ organisation, which have been defending their flawed position on container weights for forty years or more will still be arguing about the responsibilities for verification until the bitter end. If the salvors manage to save this ship, let us hope that every one of those boxes retrieved is weighed, and compared with the manifested declaration.
Michael Grey is the former Editor of Lloyd’s List and Fairplay, currently the London Correspondent of BIMCO and holder of a British FG Master’s Certificate. He writes for a wide range of maritime titles, and lectures at the World Maritime University, Greenwich Maritime Institute and General Stevedoring Council.
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