Update (No.2): Incident Involving the Containership MOL Comfort

June 18, 2013

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) reports that the containership MOL Comfort could not continue sailing under its own power because the hull suffered a crack amidships while under way on the Indian Ocean. The vessel was fractured in two parts, fore and aft.

At about noon JST on Tuesday, June 18 (07:00 local time), the fore part of the hull is drifting around 13'00"N 60'40"E, and the aft part is about 19 miles southwest from that point. At present, both parts of the ship are laden with containers and drifting in an east-northeast direction. We are also arranging tugboats to tow both parts.

There are no indications as yet of a major oil leak near the site.

Details of onboard containers of the MOL Comfort that might be lost overboard or damaged during the incident are being confirmed.