MOL ship accident: 2 dead, 8 missing

MOL ship accident: 2 dead, 8 missing    Two crewmembers are dead and eight others missing from a 197,060-deadweight ton capesize ore carrier operated by Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, after it went aground off eastern Japan on Friday.
   The crew of the Panama-flagged “Giant Step” included 25 Indian nationals and a Sri Lankan captain. Thirteen were rescued by Japan Coast Guard helicopters and three, including two who are now in hospital, drifted ashore on the coast.
   According to MOL, the 1985-built “Giant Step” arrived off Kashima Port on Sept. 25 with 190,000 tons of iron ore from Port Walcott in Australia, and anchored while waiting for an open pier. The ship then started to move offshore to avoid a rapidly growing atmospheric depression. However, the ship was unable to complete the maneuver because of a faulty anchor windlass and subsequently strong winds blew the ship aground 2 kilometers offshore in 16 meters of water.
   The vessel’s hull cracked into three segments due to lashings taken from the wind and waves, spilling oil from the stern as well as iron ore powder.
   MOL said it will start extracting bunker oil from the hull as soon as weather conditions improve.
   “MOL expresses its deepest condolences to the crewmembers who lost their lives and heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families,” the Japanese carrier said in a statement.
   The Tokyo-based shipping line recently amended its management structure in an effort to improve its marine safety record, which has been blighted in the last few years by a string of serious and high-profile accidents, including:
   * In August the oil tanker “Bright Artemis” spilled an estimated 4,200 tons of oil as it attempted to rescue the crew of a vessel on fire in the Indian Ocean.
   * In late July the car carrier “Cougar Ace” rolled on its side in the North Pacific with a load of nearly 5,000 Mazda vehicles.
   * In April a fire broke out in the engine room of the 3,780-TEU containership “MOL Initiative” just south of Japan.
   * In late December 2005 a fire started aboard the 3,100-TEU “MOL Renaissance” as it entered the Red Sea headed towards the Suez Canal.
   Following this latest incident, MOL has called in management and technical consultants DNV Maritime Solutions, a unit of the Norwegian classification society Det Norske Veritas, to organize safety workshops.
   “We know the direct reason for the accidents, but we do not know the underlying reason,” said Takao Tomitaka, MOL’s ship management group general manager. “It might be necessary to change the company culture or spend a lot of money.”