Classification
- Incident Type: Structural Failure
- Severity: High
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | MOL Comfort |
| Vessel Type | Container |
| Flag State | Bahamas [BS] |
| IMO Number | 9358761 |
| MMSI | 311006900 |
| Call Sign | C6XF2 |
| Gross Tonnage | 86692 |
| LOA (m) | 316 |
| Breadth (m) | |
| TEU | |
| Year Built | 2008 |
| Crew Size | 26 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2013-06-17 |
| Location | Indian Ocean |
| Coordinates | 12.500000, 59.966667 |
| Region | Indian Ocean |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Cargo Loss | About 4,100 containers sank with the two hull sections |
| Direct Damage | Total loss of the vessel and cargo |
| Economic Damage | |
| Insured Loss | |
| Salvage/Cleanup Cost |
Key facts
- Flooding developed in cargo hold 6 and the duct keel before widening cracks were observed on both sides of the hull.
- All 26 crew abandoned ship and were rescued by Yantian Express in difficult weather.
- MOL Comfort broke into two sections minutes after the rescue was completed.
- The aft section sank on 27 June and the fire-damaged fore section sank on 10 July.
- The Bahamas Maritime Authority could not establish the initiating cause with certainty because the vessel and its records were lost.
Narrative
MOL Comfort departed Singapore for Jeddah on 11 June 2013 carrying 4,382 containers. On 17 June, while crossing the Indian Ocean in heavy seas, the crew observed abnormal hogging and flooding in cargo hold 6. The side shell in the same area was deformed, water was entering the duct keel, tank levels were changing, oil was visible in discharged water, and containers had begun falling overboard. The master reduced speed and altered course to reduce the effect of the seas.
By about 0830, the master had transmitted a distress call and informed the ship manager. Yantian Express, about 24 nautical miles away, responded at approximately 0900 and proceeded to the scene. As preparations to abandon ship continued, the chief officer reported that cracks on both sides of the hull near cargo hold 6 were widening and showing daylight. The master ordered abandonment at about 0945.
All 26 crew embarked in the starboard enclosed lifeboat. Floating containers, oil on the water, Beaufort force 7 conditions and waves of 5 to 6 metres complicated the transfer to Yantian Express. Several people fell or were washed into the sea while climbing an oiled cargo net, but they were recovered with lifebuoys. The full crew was aboard Yantian Express by 1136. At 1148, MOL Comfort was observed to have broken into a fore section and an aft section.
Salvors established towing arrangements, but the sections continued to deteriorate. The aft section sank on 27 June in about 3,000 metres of water with roughly 1,700 containers and 1,500 tonnes of fuel. A fire later developed on the fore section. Despite firefighting efforts, it sank on 10 July in more than 2,000 metres of water with roughly 2,400 containers and 1,600 tonnes of fuel.
The structural investigation identified buckling collapse of the stiffened bottom panel adjacent to the keel plate as the likely failure mechanism. It involved combined local stresses from lateral loading and compression from vertical bending. However, the initiating root cause could not be stated with certainty. The vessel sank with its records and VDR, physical examination was impossible, and it remained unknown whether MOL Comfort had bottom-shell damage similar to that later found on five of its six sister ships.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2013-06-17 about 08:30 ship time | The master transmitted a distress call after flooding, hull deformation and oil traces were reported. |
| 2013-06-17 about 09:45 ship time | The master ordered the crew to abandon ship after widening cracks were reported on both sides of the hull. |
| 2013-06-17 11:36 ship time | All 26 crew had been rescued aboard Yantian Express. |
| 2013-06-17 11:48 ship time | MOL Comfort was observed broken into two drifting sections. |
| 2013-06-27 07:48 UTC | The aft section sank with containers and fuel. |
| 2013-07-10 19:00 UTC | The fore section sank after a fire and prolonged salvage efforts. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom-panel buckling | Confirmed finding | ClassNK's structural work identified buckling collapse near the keel under combined lateral and vertical-bending stresses as the likely failure mechanism. |
| Initiating root cause | Suspected | The report could not determine what initiated the failure because the vessel and objective records were lost. |
| Possible pre-existing damage | Suspected | Similar bottom-shell damage was found on five sister ships, but no evidence established that MOL Comfort had comparable damage before the casualty. |
Investigation
The Bahamas Maritime Authority investigated the loss with support from structural work by ClassNK and Japan's Committee on Large Container Ship Safety. The report found that the vessel had met the applicable class rules when built, but later analysis identified lower structural margins than comparable non-sister ships under certain combined loading conditions. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines reinforced the bottom structure of six sister vessels, and ClassNK and industry bodies developed revised structural requirements. The report explicitly left the casualty's root cause unresolved.