Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. announced in the official statement that the company has contracted a salvage company to recover the two MOL Comfort’s hull parts, after the containerships’ hull was split into two on June 17 during heavy weather while the vessel was en route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The company did not reveal the name of the salvage company.
Currently, according to MOL’s statement, the fore and aft parts are drifting near 14’10”N 63’27”E and 13’13”N 62’05”E respectively in an east-northeast direction. The weather at the site is still adverse. The patrol boat, which has departed Port of Jebel Ali, U.A.E. on June 19, is expected to arrive at the ocean site around June 24, MOL said.
“Some of the containers might be lost or damaged during the incident, but majority of the cargo are confirmed to be aboard the fore and aft part.
We confirmed no large volume of oil leakage,“ MOL further stated.
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World Maritime News Staff, June 19, 2013; Image: MRCC