ClassNK Unveils New Container Carrier Rules in Wake of MOL Comfort Disaster

The loss of the MOL Comfort in June 2013 prompted a new upgrade to rules for container carrier builds.

International classification society ClassNK Tuesday announced it has approved amendments to its rules and guidance for container carriers to increase vessel safety.

The amendments were approved by the ClassNK Technical Committee in Tokyo on November 19, the organisation said.

The rules are scheduled to apply to container ships contracted for construction on or after April 1, 2016, and will come into effect after receiving approval from ClassNK's Board of Directors, according to the press release.

These changes stem from a September 2014 report from the Investigative Panel on Large Container Ship Safety, studying the loss of MOL Comfort in the Indian Ocean during June 2013.

The Investigative Panel, which comprised of shipbuilders, shipping companies, and other experts, reported on the possibility of casualty occurrence and the structural safety of large container carriers.

The new rules take into account findings from that report, as well as considering new regulations introduced in the wake of the MOL Comfort incident from Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Committee on Large Container Ship Safety, according to the press release.

The organisation also said the rules incorporate recently-introduced standards such as Longitudinal Strength Standard for Container Ships (Unified Requirement S11A) from the International Association of Classification Societies, as well as Functional Requirements on Load Cases for Strength Assessment of Container Ships by Finite Element Analysis (Unified Requirement S34).

In October 2014, Ship & Bunker reported on ClassNK's findings that the MOL Comfort incident was caused by a fractured hull girder.