THE ClassNK investigation in the splitting to two and sinking of the 8,110-TEU MOL Comfort in the Indian Ocean little more than a year ago has been unable to carry out simulations of the accident with any predictability.
"We still don't know what went wrong," said ClasNK executive vice-president Yasushi Nakamura conducting the probe.
The probe uncovered several possible reasons why the incident occurred, but failed to prove any of the possible scenarios when it ran simulations based on available data.
Before the splitting of the ship, seamen found buckling deformation of 20 to 40 millimetres under No 5 hold, which investigators said was not repaired. No similar deformations were recorded in regular classification society surveys.
But taking the data into the computer model, the investigators found the load the ship carried was still below hull strength, reported Lloyd's List.
Some speculate that since the series of ships is among the first to adopt high-tensile-strength steel which might be a factor in the casualty. But ClassNK says there is no evidence for that because the steel is used around the hatches and not the hull's bottom plates.
"This suggests that the ship should not have split and that buckling deformation did not occur on vessels of similar design during simulations even when applying loads near full hull strength," said Lloyd's List.
ACCIDENTS
04 April 2014 - 03:36
MOL Comfort probe can't simulate what happened - 'We still don't know'
THE ClassNK investigation in the splitting to two and sinking of the 8,110-TEU MOL Comfort in the Indian Ocean little more than a year ago has been unable to carry out simulations of the accident with any predictability.
ACCIDENTS
04 April 2014 - 03:36
MOL Comfort probe can't simulate what happened - 'We still don't know'
This news 8464 hits received.
These news may also interest you