MSC Michigan VII released from Port of Charleston after 48-day detention

GENEVA : Investigations as to what caused the container ship MSC Michigan VII to lose propulsion and nearly strike a bridge have been completed.

The 6,500 teu container ship MSC Michigan VII had been detained at the Port of Charleston since early June, has now been released from its in-port detention that had been ordered by the US Coast Guard (USCG), Captain of the Port.

According to the USCG, an investigation, assisted by the National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB),  following the June 5 incident where the vessel was surging forward revealed that “the vessel’s control linkage for the main engine governor became disconnected, rendering the installed propulsion control systems inoperable.”

As events emerged on that early June day, adept pilotage maneuvering, with the local harbour pilot subsequently earning an award from the USCG, enabled the vessel to avoid striking the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, the span linking downtown Charleston with Mount Pleasant.

The ship was outbound from a quay on the Cooper River, bound for nearby Savannah, and was reportedly clocked at 17 knots- twice the speed for a normal outbound leg. Not surprisingly, the ill-fated Dali a was on observers’ minds –  The deepwater portion of the channel in Baltimore, where a late March bridge strike had taken down the Francis Scott Key roadway, was re-opened only days after the Charleston incident, so bridge related concerns were all over both main-stream and social media.

Fortunately, an allision with the Ravenel Bridge was averted, though the USCG had indicated that the wake from the speeding vessel had caused damage around the harbor on the order of $500,000 enough for the incident to be deemed as a “Major Marine Casualty”. A preliminary report from the NTSB had stated: “The vessel’s wake caused damage to vessels and facilities along the Cooper River. Two persons on a recreational vessel were injured. No pollution was reported.”

Reminiscent of the Baltimore case, Police on the Charleston and Mount Pleasant sides of the bridge cleared drivers and pedestrians off the bridge, as a safety precaution, until MSC Michigan VII regained control of its engines. In contrast to the Baltimore incident, where six workers were killed, there were no fatalities in Charleston.

Following the June 5 incident, with the crew later getting the main engine under control, the vessel was towed to a berth in North Charleston, where it was detained with dockside verifications of proper operation and subsequently, inspections were conducted. The USCG announcement regarding the vessel departing the port indicated that it was escorted by the three tugs (two tied alongside). The USCG was also going to require “successful sea trials” before the vessel will be allowed to re-enter US waters.