MOL issues safety actions after Wakashio grounding

Following the Wakashio grounding on 25th July 2020, Japanese shipowner MOL stated that the probable cause of the incident was the crew’s unsafe behaviors due to overconfidence that stems from complacency, while issued safety measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

To remind, the giant bulk carrier, Wakashio ran aground on the coral reef on Pointe d’esny off Mauritius and leaked a major bunker oil spill.

Based on the information the shipowner obtained from the crewmembers, two days before the grounding of Wakashio, on July 23, the vessel changed its passage plan-the distance from the coast, when sailing off the island of Mauritius-from 22 nautical miles (Note 1) to 5 nautical miles.

On the day of grounding (July 25), cremembers tried to further reduce the distance from the coast from 5 nautical miles to 2 nautical miles, to enter an area within the communication range of mobile phones and used a nautical chart without sufficient scale to confirm the accurate distance from the coast and water depth.

…as MOL explained.

In addition, a crewmember neglected appropriate watch-keeping (visually and by radar), even though the ship was trying to sail 2 nautical miles off the coast.

Therefore, it ran aground in shallow water (10m deep) 0.9 nautical miles off the coast of Mauritius.

According to MOL’s point of view:

“Because of not only the above-mentioned background, but also the fact that the vessel had approached to other coasts several times even before the incident, they may have taken unsafe behaviors due to overconfidence that stems from complacency.Such behavior on a large vessel reflects a lack of safety awareness.

What is more, another reason behind the cause is that the crewmembers lacked awareness of the guidelines on performing navigation in a safe manner and their efforts to conform were insufficient, because they did not prepare an appropriate passage plan that would have ensured appropriate performance, did not own and use the correct nautical map, and neglected visual and radar watchkeeping”.

Overall, MOL announced that will further invest the equivalent of about JPY 500 million in measures to prevent reoccurrence of probable causes of the grounding.

In fact, these measures will include:

 Address the lack of safety awareness

• Warning by circular: Make sure personnel on vessels that owned by MOL or its subsidiaries (“MOL Vessels”) and vessels MOL charters (“Chartered Vessels”) know about the causes of the incident and measures to thoroughly enforce measures to prevent any such reoccurrence.
• Holding safety campaign: Targeting MOL Vessels, hold online dialogues with crewmembers onboard and on leave to exchange opinions about safety culture. For Chartered Vessels, enforce thorough prevention of reoccurrence by exchanging opinions about safety culture in a proactive manner.
• Conduct a safety awareness survey for crewmembers on navigation watch duties: Conduct a safety awareness survey targeting crewmembers on navigation watch duties on MOL Vessels and Chartered Vessels, to check fact-finding of crewmembers’ operations. Take necessary measures based on the results.

Focus on lack of awareness of regulations on safe navigation and insufficient performance

• Provide education related to operation of electronic nautical charts: Targeting crewmembers on navigation watch duties on vessels that MOL Vessels and Chartered Vessels, provide information and education on correct use of electronic nautical charts.
• Introduce fail-safe operation of electronic nautical charts: Plan to introduce a service plan for MOL Vessels, which allows browsing of worldwide electronic charts at all scales, without requiring purchase of the chart. Approach shipowners of Chartered Vessels with the same plan.
• Ensure thorough awareness: Boost operational performance in line with guidelines necessary for safe navigation, through circulars and safety campaigns.

Boost ship operation quality

• Strengthen support system from shore side: Improve skills of crewmembers in charge of ship operation and review operational procedures.
• Reinforce support by the Safety Operation Supporting Center (SOSC): Re-develop the watchkeeping operational manual to reinforce the 24-hour monitoring system.
• Upgrade the monitoring system: establish a system using multi-faceted methods as well as manned monitoring, by proposing a plan to put in place a new grounding risk monitoring system.

Enhance involvement with shipowners

• Organize meetings and mutual visits between MOL and shipowners: Make individual and mutual visits in addition to shipowner liaison meetings (for executives/once a year) and shipowners/ship management companies safe operation liaison meetings (for officials/once a year), to check the safe operation system.
• Boost involvement in selection of senior officers: Check personal histories, etc. when changing senior officers (captain, chief engineer, chief officer, 1st engineer).
• Review ship’s quality and quality standard/valuation criteria related to the safety management system: Offer improvement requests as needed by ship inspections and company visits, and establish procedures to assess the selection of shipowner, improve the ship quality and safety management system with shipowners, and put these procedures into place.

Response on hardware side

• Strengthen deterrent capacity by monitoring cameras on bridge: Trials are underway on some MOL Vessels. Examine installation of cameras on all MOL Vessels, after verifying effectiveness of the trials.
• Upgrade onboard communication systems: Install high-speed and large-capacity communication systems on MOL Vessels. Request shipowners to install high-speed and large-capacity communication systems on Chartered Vessels.