Hull work done on 3 of 6 sister ships of MOL Comfort that split in two
MITSUI OSK Lines (MOL) has announced that the work to strengthen the hulls of three of the six sister ships of the 7,041 TEU MOL Comfort, which sank in mid-June in the Indian Ocean after its hull split in two and a fire broke out on board, has been completed.
The Japanese shipping company began preventative measures to enhance the safety of the six sister vessels immediately after the incident.
The work calls for the hull structures of the six containerships to be strengthened to twice that required by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), Japan's classification society, which conforms to the safety standards of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), a company statement said.
ClassNK has confirmed that the work done on these three vessels, the MOL Celebration, MOL Courage, and MOL Creation, was executed according to plan. The vessels have been re-joining Asia-North Europe service this month.
Furthermore, London-based Lloyd's Register (LR), an expert body in vessel design certification and shipbuilding inspection, has expressed the opinion that the structural reinforcement of the vessels' hulls is considered to be the best preventive measure against a similar failure. LR has been appointed by MOL as a technical consultant to determine the cause for the MOL Comfort to split in two.
Two of the three remaining sister ships, the MOL Charisma and MOL Competence, are still at their shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' dockyards. The work to reinforce their hulls is expected to be completed between the end of September and beginning of October. The reinforcement of the hull of the final ship in the series, the MOL Commitment, which was delivered in June, will be completed by February 2014.
MOL said that together with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, ClassNK and Lloyd's Register a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the MOL Comfort's hull of splitting. However, the shipping company has not yet revealed any of the findings of the investigation.
In addition, it says it is extending all possible cooperation with the Committee on Large Container Ship Safety, which was launched by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
MITSUI OSK Lines (MOL) has announced that the work to strengthen the hulls of three of the six sister ships of the 7,041 TEU MOL Comfort, which sank in mid-June in the Indian Ocean after its hull split in two and a fire broke out on board, has been completed.
The Japanese shipping company began preventative measures to enhance the safety of the six sister vessels immediately after the incident.
The work calls for the hull structures of the six containerships to be strengthened to twice that required by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), Japan's classification society, which conforms to the safety standards of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), a company statement said.
ClassNK has confirmed that the work done on these three vessels, the MOL Celebration, MOL Courage, and MOL Creation, was executed according to plan. The vessels have been re-joining Asia-North Europe service this month.
Furthermore, London-based Lloyd's Register (LR), an expert body in vessel design certification and shipbuilding inspection, has expressed the opinion that the structural reinforcement of the vessels' hulls is considered to be the best preventive measure against a similar failure. LR has been appointed by MOL as a technical consultant to determine the cause for the MOL Comfort to split in two.
Two of the three remaining sister ships, the MOL Charisma and MOL Competence, are still at their shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' dockyards. The work to reinforce their hulls is expected to be completed between the end of September and beginning of October. The reinforcement of the hull of the final ship in the series, the MOL Commitment, which was delivered in June, will be completed by February 2014.
MOL said that together with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, ClassNK and Lloyd's Register a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the MOL Comfort's hull of splitting. However, the shipping company has not yet revealed any of the findings of the investigation.
In addition, it says it is extending all possible cooperation with the Committee on Large Container Ship Safety, which was launched by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).