MOL Comfort sister vessels withdrawn from G6

 MITSUI OSK Lines (MOL) has announced it will withdraw six containerships from services to upgrade their hull structures as precautionary measures, after sister vessel MOL Comfort split during heavy weather off Yemen ten days ago.
The move comes after MOL, the vessels’ shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and class society ClassNK carried out initial inspections over the ships and began operational precautions to reduce the stress on their hulls.

 MITSUI OSK Lines (MOL) has announced it will withdraw six containerships from services to upgrade their hull structures as precautionary measures, after sister vessel MOL Comfort split during heavy weather off Yemen ten days ago.
The move comes after MOL, the vessels’ shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and class society ClassNK carried out initial inspections over the ships and began operational precautions to reduce the stress on their hulls.
According to a MOL statement, the six ships sufficiently fill the safety standard required by ClassNK in compliance to International Association of Classification Societies but the upgrades are meant to enhance the strength of the hulls “twice as much” as the safety standard.
The Japanese carrier said it is not yet certain how long the upgrades will take and when those ships will be back in services.
The six vessels, all operated by MOL on G6 services, include MOL Creation , MOL Charisma , MOL Celebration , MOL Courage , MOL Competence . All five are 8,110 teu, 86,692 gt vessels built with Sulzer engines in 2007-2008, same as MOL Comfort.
The sixth ship is MOL Commitment , a vessel delivered earlier this year. It has a similar design to the other five, but can carry 8,540 teu of boxes nominally and uses a B&W engine.
On the LP1 service, MOL Courage was already phased out on Sunday, MOL Creation will be phased out on July 4 and MOL Charisma on July 19.
MOL Commitment, on the CEC service, will be offline after July 28.
On the EUM service, MOL Celebration will be out on July 10.
 
The 5,605 teu MOL Glide will phase in for MOL Commitment, and the 6,724 teu MOL Maestro will take the position of MOL Celebration.
The carrier will release further details on MOL Competence and other replacement matters later.
On June 17, MOL Comfort split 200 miles off the coast of Yemen. As of 1800 Dubai time Thursday, the forepart was located near 15’52”N 68’53”E and the afterpart was drifting near 14’13”N 66’04”E in an east-northeast direction.
MOL Comfort’s afterpart is “rolling heavily in adverse weather”, which adds that “ingressing water in the cargo hold and the loss of containers on deck are progressing”, the carrier said. Oil film is seen around this section, whose towing operation has not started.
The fore section is being towed stably with the majority of cargo aboard to the Arabian Gulf.
SMIT and Nippon Salvage have been appointed as the salvors.