AUGUST 12, 2013 — Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.(MOL) reports that the causes of the mid-June incident that saw the five year old containership MOL Comfort break in two have been thoroughly investigated.

MOL does not say what conclusions the investigators may have reached, but it says it is continuing with the preventative measures that began immediately after the incident to enhance the safety of six sister vessels.

Measures taken to reinforce the hulls of MOL Celebration, MOL Courage, and MOL Creation were recently completed

Work on MOL Celebration was carried out at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Nagasaki Shipyard, July 12 - August 3, while the MOL Courage was in at Keppel Tuas (Singapore), July 3 - August 7 and MOL Creation was modified at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Yokohama Dockyard, July 4 - August 11.

These vessels returned to Asia-North Europe service beginning August 10.

The work done on the three containerships aimed to strengthen the hull structures to approximately twice that required by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), Japan’s classification society, which conforms to the safety standards of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS)(*4). ClassNK has confirmed that the work done on these three vessels was executed according to plan. Further, Lloyd's Register, which MOL has retained as a technical consultant, expressed its opinion that the structural reinforcement completed for the vessels is at present considered to be the best preventive measure against a similar failure.

MOL Charisma and MOL Competence among three remaining three sister vessels are already at the dockyards of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and their hull reinforcement will be completed by the end of September to beginning of October. The work for MOL Commitment, which was delivered as a newbuilding this June, will be completed by February 2014.