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 MV Hyundai Fortune on fire, 2006 |
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Fortune Hyundai Fortune 1996-2006 |
| Owner: | Kosmo SVCS Inc. EMF International S.A. 1996-2006 |
| Operator: | Kosmo SVCS Inc. Hyundai Merchant Marine 1996-2006 |
| Port of registry: |  Panama |
| Builder: | Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan, South Korea |
| Completed: | August 1996 |
| Identification: | Call sign: 3FLG6 IMO number: 9112272 MMSI no.: 356703000 |
| Status: | Operational |
| Notes: | [1][2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 64,054 GT 35,490 NT 68,363 DWT |
| Length: | 274.2 ft (83.6 m) |
| Beam: | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Draught: | 24.2 ft (7.4 m) |
| Speed: | 25.6 kts |
| Capacity: | 5,551 TEU |
| Notes: | [1][2] |
MV Fortune, formerly MV Hyundai Fortune, was a container ship owned by Kosmo SVCS Inc., and previously registered to Hyundai Merchant Marine.[1] It was severely damaged in an accidental fire on March 21, 2006.
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[edit] History
Hyundai Fortune was built in August 1996 and sailed under the flag of Panama. It has a gross tonnage of 64,054 tons and is capable of speeds of up to 25 knots. Its cargo capacity was 5,551 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).[1]
[edit] Explosion
On March 21, 2006, the vessel was on its way from ports in China and Singapore through the Gulf of Aden about 60 miles south of the coast of Yemen. It was sailing west towards the Suez Canal on the way to ports in Europe. Around 1235 UTC, a huge explosion of unknown origin occurred below deck and aft of the accommodation, sending 60 to 90 containers tumbling into the ocean. The explosion caused a massive blaze that spread through the stern of the ship, including the accommodation and the stacks in front of the accommodation. Secondary explosions followed as seven containers full of fireworks also ignited above deck on the stern.
Photos of the blazing ship showed a large chunk of the hull had been blown out below deck and above the waterline on the port side.
After efforts to contain the fire failed, all 27 crew members abandoned ship and were rescued by the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën. De Zeven Provinciën was performing maritime security operations in the area as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. One sailor was evacuated to the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with non-life-threatening injuries.
On March 23, firefighting tugs began to arrive on the scene. With its engine room burned and completely flooded, the listing Hyundai Fortune continued to burn for several days.
[edit] Fate
General average was declared and it appears at least one third of the containers were damaged by the blaze. Every container aft of the superstructure was either incinerated or lost at sea. Most of the containers forward of the superstructure were left intact, although after the ship lost power, any cargo in the refrigerated containers had likely spoiled. An estimated ten per cent of the cargo was uninsured.[3]
The combined cost of the ship and lost cargo is now estimated at over US800 million. However, though the Fortune was still floating, experts predicted its hull may be irreparable, and will have to be scrapped. The hull was eventually towed to Salalah, Oman and 2,249 salvageable containers were offloaded for transhipment to Europe.[3] The empty hull was off the coast of the UAE awaiting its fate, most likely the ship breakers in Pakistan or India. Hyundai Merchant Marine and other slot charter companies are expected to suffer substantial losses as a result of the incident.
In February 2011 a prominent Polish newspaper published an article about the ship having been repaired and renamed as MSC Fortune. The ship has been said to sail to the Polish port of Gdynia.[citation needed] The ship was repaired at COSCO Zhoushan Shipyard in Liuhen Dao Island in China in 2007-2008.[citation needed]
[edit] Causes
Theories concerning the cause of the explosion vary. The pool chemical calcium hypochlorite reacts violently when exposed to moisture or heat, and has been involved or suspected in other explosions aboard container ships in recent years. Notable examples include Sea Elegance, M/V Hanjin Pennsylvania, CMA Djakarta, Aconcagua, Sea Land Mariner and M/V DG Harmony. Investigators also considered the possibility that volatile cargo (specifically, the 7 containers of fireworks) may have detonated due to heat, triggering the larger explosion that crippled the ship. According to a statement to the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Committee on Appropriations, United States House of Representatives: "The cause of the fire is believed to have been a container loaded with petroleum-based cleaning fluids stowed near the engine room. The shipper failed to indicate the hazardous nature of this shipment to Hyundai Fortune, undoubtedly to avoid the special handling fees associated with transporting hazardous materials."[4][dead link]
[edit] Repairs
After the hull was bought by a Greek owner, the vessel was renamed Fortune and temporarily repaired for being towed to China for final repairs and refurbishing, including 5,000 tonnes of steel and a new accommodations block.[citation needed]
In the course of the repairs the stern tube was confirmed to be nearly 100 mm lower than the main engine thrust sightline. With the technical assistance of Tecnitas of Bureau Veritas and BF Consultants of France, the ship repair yard straightened the hull and brought the stern tube back in line, for it to be final machined at a later stage of the rebuilding of the vessel.[citation needed]
The vessel was eventually delivered to its owner and resumed its activity as a container carrier.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Hyundai Fortune". Merchantships-International. 30 September 2006. http://www.merchantships-international.at/HYUNDAI_FORTUNE_IMO9112272.pdf. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
- ^ a b "Vessel Details: MV Hyundai Fortune". CGMIX PSIX. USCG. 10 August 2010. http://cgmix.uscg.mil/PSIX/PSIXDetails.aspx?VesselID=447802. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
- ^ a b Frank, Jerry (2009-07-09). "Enormous challenges from a huge misfortune". Lloyd's List Daily Commercial News (Informa Australia): p. 8.
- ^ Flynn, Stephen. 4-2-08 Testimony.pdf "Overcoming the Flaws in the U.S. Government Efforts to Improve Container,Cargo, and Supply Chain Security". http://www.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/Flynn 4-2-08 Testimony.pdf.[dead link]
[edit] External links
- Hyundai Merchant Marine - container ship listc
- CTF 150 rescues 27 from burning ship off Yemen
- SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage
- Lloyd's Salvage Reports
- HazCheck Systems Firework embargo follows Hyundai Fortune loss
- HYUNDAI FORTUNE Ship Photos
- pyro-pages.com
- The Pitfalls of Containerization and Parametric Rolling
- Countryman & McDaniel - MV Hyundai Fortune
- Fortunes de Mer - Major cases
- Rebuilt?
