Mitsui O.S.K. Lines performed a tabletop drill on Wednesday based on a scenario in which an LNG carrier collided with another vessel in Tokyo Bay, leaving the vessel stranded with no steering and serious engine problems.
MOL informed in a statement on Friday that the drill was held on in cooperation with the 3rd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, with the goal of strengthening the company’s emergency response structure.
Under the drill scenario, the LNG Pioneer collided with an ocean-going containership while heading north off Tateyama. The steering of the LNG Pioneer failed after the collision, and then the main engine began to malfunction, leaving the vessel stranded.
“The first report of the incident went immediately to the 3rd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters. MOL then organized an Emergency Control Headquarters within the company and began first-response measures and procedures that included information gathering, communications among the concerned parties, and directions and instructions to the vessel,” the statement reads.
The tabletop drill was followed by a joint media response drill, MOL said.
LNG World News Staff; Image: MOL