Exercise replicates ferry collision
Mitsui OSK Lines and MOL Ferry recently put their emergency response procedures to the test in a table top drill that simulated a ferry collision in Japanese waters.
The drill was based on a scenario in which the ferry Sunflower Furano operated by MOL Ferry was involved in a collision that resulted in flooding, oil spill, fire, and missing passengers off Shiriyazaki, Aomori Prefecture.
The exercise was designed to strengthen the foundation of corporate social responsibility laid out in the MOL Group corporate principles – protecting the environment by maintaining strict, safe operation and navigation standards. Specifically, the drill was formulated to confirm precise, smooth communication and response in case of a flooding, oil spill, or missing passenger incident involving an MOL Ferry-operated ship.
Around 70 personnel, from presidential and board level downwards, were involved in the 3.5 hour drill. The exercise presumed that the vessel collided with a large containership off Shiriyazaki. The ship was flooding, lubricating oil was leaking, and a fire had broken out; to make matters worse, some passengers were thrown overboard by the collision and were missing.
The drill started with an initial incident report from the ferry, after which MOL and MOL Ferry organized an emergency control headquarters, confirmed first-response tasks and procedures such as information gathering and communication among parties concerned, initiating countermeasures for flooding and fire, launching a search for missing passengers, beginning oil cleanup efforts, and holding a media response drill.
MOL says that it holds biannual table top drills based on various scenarios around the world, and shares the results throughout the MOL Group fleet.
Source: Mitsui OSK Lines