Update (No.26): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

Tokyo - July 12, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) reports the fore part of the containership MOL Comfort sank in the high seas near 19'56"N 65'25"E (water depth about 3,000m) at 19:00 UTC on July 10 (04:00 on July 11 JST) as already reported in our updates no. 24 and no. 25.

While we had kept the salvage team in the area to monitor the situation of oil leakage and floating containers, no more oil film was observed. Most of the floating containers sank and could no longer be spotted. We reported the fact to Indian authorities, completed the monitoring, and the salvage team left the scene.

We have been proceeding with the thorough investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

Urgent Update (No.25): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

Tokyo - July 11, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) reports an update as of 04:00 UTC on July 11 regarding the fore part of the containership MOL Comfort, which sank in the high seas near 19'56"N 65'25"E (water depth about 3,000m) at 19:00 on July 10 UTC (04:00 on July 11 JST).

About 2,400 containers on board the fore part of the vessel sank together, while some have been confirmed floating near the site.

About 1,600 metric tons of fuel oil and other oil were estimated to be in the tanks of the fore part. There is an oil film at the site, but no large volume of oil leakage has been observed at this moment.

We have reported the sinking of the fore part to the flag state of the Bahamas, Indian authorities, and other parties concerned. We will keep the salvage team at the scene to monitor oil leakage and the status of the floating containers.

Urgent Update (No. 24): Incident Involving
the Containership MOL Comfort

Tokyo - July 11, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) reports the fore part of the containership MOL COMFORT sank in the high seas near 19’56”N 65’25”E (water depth about 3,000m) at 19:00 UTC on July 10 (04:00 on July 11 JST).

We have reported this fact to the flag state of Bahamas, Indian authorities and parties concerned. We will keep the salvage team at the scene to monitor if there is any oil leakage and floating containers.

Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort: Update No.23

Tokyo - July 10, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the fore part of Containership MOL Comfort as of 0030 UTC (0930 JST) on July 10, which fractured in 2 parts on the Indian Ocean on June 17. The fore part is being towed by a tug boat arranged by the salvage company.

In addition to one tugboat and two rescue boats which have been responding to the fire, the salvage company requested the assistance of the Indian Coast Guard in fighting the fire. Their patrol boat "SAMUDRA PRAHARI" arrived at the scene on July 8, and immediately started a fire fighting effort with the others. However, due to adverse weather affecting the fire fighting effort, the fire is not yet under control. Observations show that most of the containers on deck have been burnt out, while we have not been able to confirm the situation in the cargo hold. The fire fighting effort and monitoring of the situation will continue.

Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort: Update No.22

Tokyo - July 09, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the fore part of Containership MOL Comfort as of 0030 UTC (0930 JST) on July 9, which hull fractured in 2 parts on the Indian Ocean on June 17.

The fore part is being towed by a tug boat arranged by the salvage company.

A fire broke out from the rear end on July 6, and one tug boat and two rescue boats have been responding to the fire. On top of these three boats, the salvage company requested assistance of the Indian Coast Guard for fire fighting, and their patrol boat "SAMUDRA PRAHARI" with an external fire fighting system, arrived at the scene around 0030 UTC on July 8, and started fire fighting with the others immediately.

However, due to adverse weather, the work has not been progressing smoothly and the fire is not yet under control. Observations show that many containers on the deck have been burnt out.

Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort: Update No.21

Tokyo - July 08, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the fore part of Containership MOL Comfort as of 0030UTC (0930 JST) on July 8, which hull fractured in 2 parts on the Indian Ocean on June 17.

The fore part is being towed by a tug boat arranged by the salvage company.

A fire broke out from the rear end on July 6 and, upon our request to the salvage company to start fire fighting, the tug boat and two rescue boats have been responding to the fire.

Another patrol boat "SAMUDRA PRAHARI" with external fire fighting system, which was requested by the salvage company, has arrived at the scene around 0030 UTC on July 8.

The boat belongs to Indian Coast Guard and will be engaged in the fire fighting with the others.

We will make our best effort to contain the fire though the weather is still not favorable to us.

Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort: Update No. 20

Tokyo - July 07, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 0400UTC (1300 JST) on July 7. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean. The fore part is being towed by a tug boat arranged by the salvage company.

The tug boat reported that a fire broke out from the rear end of the fore part around 0030UTC (0930 JST) on July 6. Upon our immediate request to the salvage company to start fire fighting, the tug boat and two rescue boats have been responding to the fire. The fire is not under control due to adverse weather yet. The salvage company has requested fire fighting assistance of Indian Coast Guard, and their patrol boat “Samudra Prahari”, which is equipped with powerful external fire fighting system, is now proceeding to the scene.

Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort: Update (No. 19)

Tokyo - July 06, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean. The fore part is being towed by a tug boat arranged by the salvage company.

The tug boat reported that a fire broke out from the rear end of the fore part around 0030UTC (0930 JST) on July 6. We immediately requested the salvage company to start fire fighting. The tug boat and other two rescue boats are responding to the fire at the scene.　

MOL Appoints Lloyd's Register as a Technical Consultant to Determine the Cause of the Incident Involving Containership MOL Comfort

July 04, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) have appointed an expert body in vessel design certification and shipbuilding inspection, London-based Lloyd's Register (LR) as a technical consultant to determine the cause of the incident involving the containership MOL Comfort. The incident occurred on June 17 and MOL has been going all out to determine the cause ever since.

MOL will seek LR's counsel about measures to determine the cause and to reinforce the safety of sister vessels through a full cooperation. LR has abundant experience, knowledge, and expertise in approving the design drawings and shipbuilding/post-delivery inspections of many large-size containerships.

(*) Lloyd's Register has abundant experience of approving the design drawings and inspecting more than 100 containerships larger than 8,000 TEU during and after shipbuilding. Its amount of registered Gross Tonnage is the second largest in the world.

Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort: Update (No.18)

Tokyo - July 03, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on July 02, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

Vessel
The fore part is located near 17'14"N 68'48"E. The weather in the area is still adverse.

Containers (No change from the Update No.17) The condition of the fore part is stable with majority of cargo aboard.

Rescue of the cargo and hulls
The tow wire was disconnected from the fore part on July 01, but the recovery work was completed and we have resumed towing operation.

Oil leakage (No change from the Update No.17)
We confirmed through the monitoring that no oil film around the fore part is present.

We have been updating the status of the incident on a daily basis since the incident on June 17. We will provide updates through Press Release in case there are any significant changes in the situation. Our sales offices will continue to contact customers with updates on the movement of the fore part and cargo status.

Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort: Update (No. 17)

Tokyo - July 02, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on July 01, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

1. Vessel
The fore part is located near 17'02"N 67'57"E. The weather in the area is still adverse.

2. Containers
The condition of the fore part is stable with majority of cargo aboard.

3. Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company to rescue the cargo and hulls. The tow wire was disconnected from the fore part which was being towed in a west-northwest direction. We are working on the recovery with 3 tugboats and will resume the towing in a west-northwest direction once the work is completed.

4. Oil leakage (No change from the Update No.16)
We confirmed through the monitoring that no oil film around the fore part is present.

We had been monitoring the area where the aft part sank on June 27, but confirmed neither oil leakage nor floating containers visible. We have reported the same to Indian authorities and have completed the monitoring operations.

Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort: Update (No. 16)

Tokyo - July 01, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 30, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

1. Vessel
The fore part is located near 16’46”N 67’55”E. The weather in the area is still adverse.

2. Containers (No change from the Update No.15)
The fore part is being towed stably with majority of cargo aboard.

3. Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company to rescue the cargo and hulls. We are towing the fore part in a west-northwest direction. As already reported, the aft part sank on June 27. We are keeping the patrol boats in the area to monitor where the aft part sank, while neither oil leakage nor floating containers are visible.

4. Oil leakage (No change from the Update No.15)
We confirmed through the monitoring no oil film around the fore part and in the area where the aft part sank.

Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort: Update (No. 15)

Tokyo, June 30, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 29, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

1. Vessel
The fore part is located near 16’36”N 68’08”E. The weather in the area is still adverse.

2. Containers (No change from the Update No.14)
The fore part is being towed stably with majority of cargo aboard.

3. Rescue of the cargo and hulls (No change from the Update No.14)
We have contracted with a salvage company to rescue the cargo and hulls. We are towing the fore part in a west-northwest direction. As already reported, the aft part sank on June 27. We are keeping patrol boats to monitor the situation of oil leakage and floating containers in the area where the aft part sank.

4. Oil leakage
We confirmed through the monitoring no oil film around the fore part and in the area where the aft part sank.

Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort: Update (No. 14)

Tokyo, June 29, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 28, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

1. Vessel
The fore part is located near 16’22”N 68’15”E. The weather in the area is still adverse.

2. Containers (No change from the Update No.13)
The fore part is being towed stably with majority of cargo aboard.

3. Rescue of the cargo and hulls (No change from the Update No.13)
We have contracted with a salvage company to rescue the cargo and hulls. We are towing the fore part in a west-northwest direction. As already reported, the aft part sank on June 27. We are keeping patrol boats to monitor the situation of oil leakage and floating containers in the area where the aft part sank.

4. Oil leakage (No change from the Update No.13)
We confirmed no oil film around the fore part, while no large volume of oil leakage confirmed through the monitoring in the area where the aft part sank.

Update (No. 13): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

Tokyo, June 28, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 27, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

Vessel
The fore part is located near 16'05"N 68'34"E. The weather in the area is still adverse. The aft part, as already reported, sank at 16:48 JST (11:48 Dubai time) on June 27.

Containers
The fore part is being towed stably with majority of cargo aboard.

Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company to rescue the cargo and hulls. We are towing the fore part toward the Arabian Gulf. We are keeping patrol boats to monitor the situation of oil leakage and floating containers in the area where the aft part sank.

Oil leakage
We confirmed no oil film around the fore part, while no large volume of oil leakage confirmed through the monitoring in the area where the aft part sank.

Urgent Update (No.12): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

June 27, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) reports the aft part of the containership MOL Comfort sank in the open sea near 14’26”N 66’26”E (water depth about 4,000m) at 16:48 JST (11:48 Dubai time) on June 27. The vessel had been unable to continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

About 1,700 containers aboard the aft part sank with this section of the vessel. Some are confirmed floating near the site.

About 1,500 metric tons of fuel oil was estimated to be aboard in the tanks of the aft part. No large volume of oil leakage is confirmed at this moment.

We have reported this fact to Indian authorities while we are keeping patrol boats in the area to monitor the situation of oil leakage and floating containers.

The fore part is being stably towed.

Update (No.11): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

June 27, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 26, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

Vessel
The fore part is located near 15'52"N 68'53"E. The aft part is drifting near 14'13"N 66'04"E in an east-northeast direction. The weather at the site is still adverse.

Containers
The aft part is rolling heavily in adverse weather, and we regret to inform that the ingressing water in the cargo hold and the loss of containers on deck are progressing. The fore part is being towed stably with majority of cargo aboard.

Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company to rescue the cargo and hulls. We are towing the fore part toward Arabian Gulf. As to the aft part, we have not been able to start the tow operation due to adverse weather. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Oil leakage (No change from the Update (No.10))
We confirmed no oil film around the fore part. For the aft part, there is oil film, but there is no large volume of oil leakage confirmed.

Safety inspection on sister vessels
Please refer to the Press Release "Safety Enhancement on Sister Vessels of the Containership MOL Comfort" on June 27.

Update (No.10): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

June 26, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 25, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

Vessel
The fore part is located near 15'43"N 69'07"E. The aft part is drifting near 14'03"N 65'30"E in an east-northeast direction. The weather at the site is still adverse.

Containers (No change from the Update (No.9))
Some of the containers were lost, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the fore and aft part.

Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company and are proceeding to rescue the cargo and hulls. The four boats arrived at the site on June 24. We have started to tow the fore part toward Arabian Gulf. We will continue to monitor the aft part and prepare for the tow operation.

Oil leakage
We confirmed no oil film around the fore part. For the aft part, there is oil film, but there is no large volume of oil leakage confirmed.

Safety inspection on sister vessels (No change from the Update (No.9))
We have started an investigation of the causes together with the shipbuilder, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (hereafter MHI). Although the cause of this incident has not been identified yet, MOL, together with MHI and the classification society (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, ClassNK), is arranging inspection of the all six sister vessels (*) as quickly as possible. This inspection is in addition to the one carried out by the crew during navigation. MOL also started operational precautions to reduce the stress on the hull as an interim contingency plan.

(*) MOL Creation, MOL Charisma, MOL Celebration, MOL Courage, MOL Competence, MOL Commitment

Update (No.9): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

June 25, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 24, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

Vessel
The fore and aft parts are drifting near 15'25"N 67'53"E and 13'48"N 64'50"E respectively in an east-northeast direction. The weather at the site is still adverse.

Containers
Some of the containers were lost, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the fore and aft part.

Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company and are proceeding to rescue the cargo and hulls. One patrol boat and three tugboats have arrived at the site on June 24. Total of five boats including one more boat which is expected to arrive on June 26 will prepare for the rescue.

Oil leakage
We confirmed there is no oil film around the vessel.

Safety inspection on sister vessels
We have started an investigation of the causes together with the shipbuilder, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (hereafter MHI). Although the cause of this incident has not been identified yet, MOL, together with MHI and the classification society (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, ClassNK), is arranging inspection of the all six sister vessels (*) as quickly as possible. This inspection is in addition to the one carried out by the crew during navigation. MOL also started operational precautions to reduce the stress on the hull as an interim contingency plan.

(*)MOL Creation, MOL Charisma, MOL Celebration, MOL Courage, MOL Competence, MOL Commitment

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the incident. We take the incident very seriously and continue to devote every effort to rectify the situation at the earliest possible moment. We will also conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause and take company-wide measures aimed at preventing reoccurrence of such incident in the future.

Update (No.8): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

Tokyo - June 24, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 23, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

1. Vessel
The fore and aft parts are drifting near 15”12N 66’53”E and 13’38”N 64’10”E respectively in an east-northeast direction. The weather at the site is still adverse.

2. Containers (No change from the Update No.7)
Some of the containers might be lost or damaged during the incident, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the fore and aft part.

3. Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company and are proceeding to rescue the cargo and hulls. One patrol boat and three tugboats are heading to the site, and all of them are expected to arrive within June 24.

4. Oil leakage (No change from the Update No.7)
We confirmed no large volume of oil leakage.

Update (No.7): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

Tokyo - June 23, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 22 , 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

1. Vessel
The fore and aft parts are drifting near 14”52N 65’46”E and 13’29”N 63’27”E respectively in an east-northeast direction. The weather at the site is still adverse. The patrol boat which we have arranged is expected to arrive at the ocean site around June 24.

2. Containers (No change from the Update No.6)
Some of the containers might be lost or damaged during the incident, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the fore and aft part.

3. Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company and are proceeding to rescue the cargo and hulls. Three tugboats are heading to the site, and two of them are expected to arrive around June 24 while the 3rd one is around June 25.

4. Oil leakage (No change from the Update No.6)
We confirmed no large volume of oil leakage.

Update (No.6): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

Tokyo - June 22, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 21, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

1. Vessel
The fore and aft parts are drifting near 14”35N 64’50”E and 13’22”N 62’48”E respectively in an east-northeast direction. The weather at the site is still adverse. The patrol boat which we have arranged is expected to arrive at the ocean site around June 24.

2. Containers (No change from the Update No.5)
Some of the containers might be lost or damaged during the incident, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the fore and aft part.

3. Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company and are proceeding to rescue the cargo and hulls. Two tugboats are heading toward the site and are expected to arrive around June 24.

4. Oil leakage (No change from the Update No.5)
We confirmed no large volume of oil leakage.

Update (No.5): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

Tokyo - June 21, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 20, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean,

1. Vessel
The fore and aft parts are drifting near 14’10”N 63’27”E and 13’13”N 62’05”E respectively in an east-northeast direction. The weather at the site is still adverse. The patrol boat which has departed Port of Jebel Ali, U.A.E. on June 19 is expected to arrive at the ocean site on around June 24.

2. Containers
Some of the containers might be lost or damaged during the incident, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the fore and aft part.

[No change on below items 3 and 4 from the Update (No.4) released on June 20]

3. Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company and are proceeding to rescue the cargo and hulls.

4. Oil leakage
We confirmed no large volume of oil leakage.

Update (No.4): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

Tokyo - June 20, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) updates the status of the containership MOL Comfort as of 23:00 JST (18:00 Dubai time) on June 19, 2013. The vessel could not continue sailing under its own power from June 17 because the hull fractured in 2 parts while under way on the Indian Ocean,

1. Vessel
The aft part is drifting near 13'00"N 61'29"E in an east-northeast direction. The status of the fore part is to be confirmed while the visibility is limited due to adverse weather. The patrol boat which has departed Port of Jebel Ali, U.A.E. on June 19, as mentioned in the Update (No.3), is expected to arrive at the ocean site on June 24.

2. Containers
Some of the containers might be lost or damaged during the incident, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the aft part. The status of the fore part is to be confirmed.

3. Rescue of the cargo and hulls
We have contracted with a salvage company and are proceeding to rescue the cargo and hulls.

4. Oil leakage
We confirmed no large volume of oil leakage.

Update (No.3): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort         Tokyo - June 19, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) reports that the containership MOL Comfort could not continue sailing under its own power because the hull fractured in two parts while under way on the Indian Ocean.

At about 10:00 JST (05:00 local time) on June 19, 2013, two parts, fore and aft, laden with containers are drifting at about 2 knots near 12'57"N 61'10"E (the aft) (the central part of the Indian Ocean) in an east-northeast direction.

Today, we arranged a patrol boat which has already departed from Port of Jebel Ali, U.A.E. to monitor the state of the vessel and the cargo and for the preparation of tow operations. The boat is expected to arrive at the ocean site on 23rd if it goes smoothly. In parallel, we are arranging tugboats to tow the MOL Comfort.

In addition, we have started investigating the cause of the incident jointly with the vessel's shipbuilder, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

In the afternoon yesterday (JST), according to a report from our-operated vessel, which passed nearby the site, the MOL Comfort was stably floating even under adverse weather. It has not been acknowledged that fire has occurred nor a large volume of oil has leaked. All crew members were safely rescued when the incident occurred.

Update: Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort         Tokyo - June 18, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) reports that the containership MOL Comfort could not continue sailing under its own power because the hull suffered a crack amidships while under way on the Indian Ocean. The vessel was fractured in two parts, fore and aft.

At about noon JST on Tuesday, June 18 (07:00 local time), the fore part of the hull is drifting around 13'00"N 60'40"E, and the aft part is about 19 miles southwest from that point. At present, both parts of the ship are laden with containers and drifting in an east-northeast direction. We are also arranging tugboats to tow both parts.

There are no indications as yet of a major oil leak near the site.

Details of onboard containers of the MOL Comfort that might be lost overboard or damaged during the incident are being confirmed.

Incident with Containership MOL Comfort         Tokyo - June 17, 2013

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) reports that the MOL-operated containership MOL Comfort, while under way from Singapore to Jeddah on the Indian Ocean (12'30"N 60'E) at about noon JST (07:00 local time) on June 17, 2013 during inclement weather, suffered a crack amidships and ingressing water in the hold. This made it impossible for the vessel to continue on under its own power.

Some of the containers on the vessel were lost overboard or suffered damage during the incident. Details are being confirmed.The damage to the MOL Comfort is extensive, while the 26 crew members took to lifeboats. All were safely rescued by other vessel in the area.

MOL immediately set up the Emergency Control Headquarters (headed by President Koichi Muto) for the incident, and is taking company-wide measures necessary to settle the matter properly.

Profile of MOL Comfort
Type of ship : Containership (8000-TEU type)
Containers loaded : 4,382 units (7,041 TEU)
Seafarers : 26 (11 Russians, 1 Ukrainian, 14 Filipinos)
Flag : Bahamas
Built : 2008

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. press release