MOL Table Top Drill Tests Response to Training Ship Collision, Fire, Oil Spill

February 19, 2010

TOKYO - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL, President: Akimitsu Ashida) today announced that the company has completed a table top drill based on the scenario of its training ship Spirit of MOL being involved in a collision, fire, and oil spill incident just off Manila on February 18. Following is an outline of the drill, which involved about 60 participants from the Tokyo Head Office and MOL Group companies.

Beginning on the afternoon of Thursday, February 18, the drill was intended to strengthen the foundation of social responsibility laid out in the MOL Group Corporate Principles - protecting the environment by maintaining strict, safe operation and navigation standards.

It was designed to confirm the precise, smooth communication and response needed in case a fire or oil spill occurs on the company's training ship.

Executive Vice President Yoichi Aoki was appointed as Executive Commander of the Emergency Control Headquarters. Participants from the MOL Head Office in Tokyo included nine executive officers and personnel from other related divisions (Corporate Planning Division, General Affairs Division, Public Relations Office, Marine Safety Division, and Technical Division).

MOL Group ship management company M.O. Cable Ship, Ltd. also took part, along with local concerned companies firms, MOL Philippines Inc. and Magsaysay-MOL Marine Inc. etc.

The exercise presumed that the training ship was under way in the Manila Bay and collided with a small tanker. Fuel oil was leaking from a breach in the hull at the point of impact, and a fire broke out in the galley while the cooks were preparing lunch.

The drill started with an initial incident report from the training ship, after which MOL organized an Emergency Control Headquarters, handled first response tasks such as information gathering and communication among parties concerned, and held a media response drill.

MOL holds biannual table top drills based on various scenarios around the world. The company continues to further sharpen its group-wide emergency response readiness procedures by sharing know-how accumulated in these training sessions throughout the MOL Group fleet.