Maritime Maisie hull strength compromised

Experts have said that the maximum bending moment exceeds estimated damage strength limits, which means that the ship is in danger of breaking up if subjected either to worsening weather or a long ocean tow.

“Continued exposure to seas will weaken the ship’s structure – at some point it is likely to fail,” commented Wijendra Peiris, SERS Team Leader, Lloyd’s Register.

“Maritime Maisie needs to be taken to a safe haven and offload its cargo – as soon as possible. We would be very concerned if the ship is towed for a lengthy period in the open ocean or remains where she is for an extended period.”

Lloyd’s Register’s Ship Emergency Response Service (SERS) has been working with the ship’s manager, Singapore based MSI Shipmanagement, to develop help ensure the ship can be taken to a secure anchorage where the remaining cargo can be transferred safely.

Maritime Maisie was opened to the sea well above and below the waterline in way of cargo tanks four and five following the collision with the pure car and truck carrier Gravity Highway off Busan on 29 December 2013.

If sheltered water can be found then further calculations have demonstrated that the ship’s remaining cargo can be offloaded without exceeding estimated strength limits.

The ship was carrying 30,000 metric tonnes of cargo. It is estimated that about 4,000 mt of cargo was lost to the sea, atmosphere or was consumed by fire.