Commentary: Transparency avoids public shipwreck

   It’s every liner carrier’s worst nightmare: a loaded containership suffers major mishap on the high seas.
   This was certainly the case for Japan’s MOL in the early morning of June 17 when its 7,041-TEU ship, MOL Comfort, suddenly split in two among the storm-churned waters of the Arabian Sea near the coast of Oman. The vessel was on route from Singapore to Europe when the event unfolded. The crew safely departed the distressed ship and was rescued without loss or injury.
   In the hours immediately following the incident, dramatic photos of the fractured vessel and even false reports of its sinking swept across the Internet. MOL quickly responded by consistently providing daily updates to the public on the condition of the vessel, and explaining in detail how every measure was being taken to keep the two sections afloat. The aft section of the vessel, however, sank below the waves 10 days later as salvage specialists attempted to wrangle the structure. The fore section of the vessel caught fire on July 6 as it was under tow and also sank four days later.
   Meanwhile, MOL gathered experts from shipbuilder, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and the classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) to assist with the investigation, and pulled the Comfort’s six sister ships from service to strengthen their hulls as a precautionary measure.
   The incident involving the Comfort has surely brought unwanted attention to MOL in the interim, not to mention the yet-to-be-calculated financial losses and upcoming legalities of settling on lost cargoes with customers.
   MOL could have easily clammed up and allowed the analysts and media to speculate on what was transpiring with the broken vessel. This route, of course, would not have only hurt the carrier but given the entire liner carrier industry a black eye.
   The wreck of the Comfort is not the first involving a containership and nor will it be the last. With such a large fleet of these vessels plying the seas, accidents are bound to happen. However, the loss of the Comfort should serve as an example to others on how to exercise utmost transparency whenever these incidents occur and, for that, MOL should be applauded for its demonstration of good character. (Chris Gillis)