Modern Express - cargo shift

The Panamanian-flagged Modern Express 2001-built car carrier, transporting 3,600 ton of wood and construction equipment from Gabon, Africa to the port of Le Havre is listing heavily in rough seas. All 22 crew members were evacuated.

Source 1 Source 2

 

"Investigators are at a loss to explain how the Modern Express ran into such difficulties.

The crew from the Cido controlled car carrier were evacuated on February 2 as the ship listed 40 degrees in stormy conditions, with initial reports suggesting the listing was down to the cargo having shifted. The vessel then drifted perilously close to the French coast before a tow line was hooked on and the stricken ship taken to the port of Bilbao last week.

Initial investigations in Spain however have surprised many with reports showing the cargo was perfectly stowed.

The news will add fuel to the fire from insurers who have latterly been voicing concern at car carrier designs in the wake of a spate of accidents."

 

Sure looks top heavy.

Cargo of wood? Kinda reminds me when I load up the truck with 2x4s which were 2" diff in length, so I kept them on separate sides.

Only prob was I didn't think about that one set was heavy and wet, and the other was bone dry and light, so the truck was all lopsided, but looked even enough.

I wonder how you get qualified to be that type of Salvage guy? Start off as a bad *** in some Coast Guard, but with some real physics and naval architecture education?

 

Some salvage guys might have training as engineers, but in my experience, the guys on site are usually mariners with many years of practical experience having worked aboard ship mostly. For the complex salvage operations, like the Costa Concordia, you need engineers to analyze and help plan the salvage, but the guys in the field actually doing the work have different qualifications and experience.

 

That's hard to believe, the ships floats quite high, what would cause the list, if not cargo shift or large quantity of water ?

Could this be the explanation ? For some reason the wood inside the ship became wet on one side only ?

 

That's the $64 question, isn't it?

First, there was the Cougar Ace off Alaska, which took a sudden list in 2006.
Then, there was the Hoegh Osaka, which took a sudden list while leaving Southampton last year.

Something's wrong with our bloody car carriers, to quote Admiral Beatty.

I doubt that's the reason. If the ship was transporting a cargo of sponges, maybe.

There are reports that the vessel was also carrying unspecified equipment, in addition to the timber cargo. If any of this cargo shifted as a result of heavy seas, then the vessel could develop a list as was observed.

 

It has happened before. The Hoegh Osaka as mentioned by NavalSArtichoke
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ded-Isle-Wight-stop-capsizing-says-owner.html

 

The MAIB is circulating a draft report on the listing of the Hoegh Osaka.
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/hoegh-osaka-investigation-nears-end-93659.aspx

 

Cougar Ace listing was reported due to a mistake/problem during ballast water exchange.

 

No apparent strong winds nor huge waves here... they mention possible 50 mph winds, but after the grounding.

Now when you look at the lower waterlines of both ships, it seems obvious that initial stability could be very low, but I don't think they ever are so light as to float on these lines. Anyway I suppose they did the usual mandatory stability calculations before sailing, so let's see the official report on the Hoegh Osaka (although more than a year later, "The investigators said they were unable to confirm a date for publication of the final report").

 

Hoegh Osaka listing :

The draft of the investigation’s final report has been sent to stakeholders for a 30
day period of consultation and will be published by March 2016.

 

Here is a good summary in GCaptain about RO/RO safety - http://gcaptain.com/are-roros-safe/

They mention Baltic Ace - here is a bit more about her - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Baltic_Ace

And here is an account of how Cougar Ace was salvaged - http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/the-forgotten-story-of-how-the-cougar-ace-was-saved/?_r=0

 

I was thinking the wood seemed the same to untrained eyes, but weighed a lot different when loaded, THEN some one looks at the ballast tanks and says "That can't be right" and sets them to 'equal' which topples the ship.

Yeah, I guess wood could take on a lot of water over a few days, but someone would have to really leave the windows open on one side, and during a real spray.

 

This isn't a cruise ship. I don't think there's many 'windows' to leave open.