MOL TESTS RESPONSE TO POTENTIAL CONTAINERSHIP ACCIDENT

MOL TESTS RESPONSE TO POTENTIAL CONTAINERSHIP ACCIDENT    Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has extended its vessel safety drills procedures to include liner shipping vessels.
   MOL has traditionally conducted annual oil spill response drills for its global crude oil tanker operation. However, with the deployment of larger and faster containerships, the Japanese group said that it has introduced marine casualty response drills for its global liner division.
   On Jan. 30, the Japanese group’s liner division carried out a marine casualty drill, involving personnel located in Tokyo; Concord, Calif.; London; Rotterdam; and Hong Kong, along with various third parties.
   The drill simulated a collision between a MOL containership and another vessel in a busy port area resulting in severe damage to the MOL vessel’s hull. The primary goal of this drill was to demonstrate and test the effectiveness of MOL’s emergency response plan in the event an environmental pollution event actually occurred, the Japanese group said.