MSC MICHIGAN VII

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Pilot awarded for maritime heroism

The US Coast Guard presented an award to the harbour pilot Christopher Thornton Mount from Pleasant for his act of maritime heroism on June 26. He was awarded the Meritorious Public Service Award, the second-highest public service award the Coast Guard may bestow, for successfully piloting the 'MSC Michigan VIIÄ out to sea through Charleston Harbour. Presenting the award to Thornton was Rear Adm. Douglas Schofield, commander, Coast Guard Seventh District, and Cmdr. Randy Preston, deputy commander, Coast Guard Sector Charleston. His immediate action to not only continue piloting the ship effectively but also notify all port partners of the ship’s mechanical difficulties was vital in protecting the safety of both property and people in and around the greater Charleston waterways on June 5, when the 'MSC Michigan VII' suffered a loss of engine control while traversing the Cooper River, resulting in the vessel sailing at nearly twice the normal speed of ships through the harbor. The ship was leaving North Charleston for its next port of call in Savannah, Georgia. Report with photo: https://www.live5news.com/2024/06/27/charleston-harbor-pilot-receives-award-after-ship-stuck-full-throttle/

Lawsuits filed after incident on Cooper River

The Carver Maritime has failed a lawsuit against the 'MSC Michigan VII' over the vessel's throttle getting stuck, which resulted in damage to the American company’s pier along the Cooper River in Charleston. A US court has also issued an arrest warrant against the ship. The suit claims the ship was moving more than 15 knots, when it passed by the pier, displacing water and creating a large wake. Another ship, the 'Norway Pearl', was moored to the pier at the time, according to the lawsuit. Carver Maritime alleges the ship was sucked away from its mooring lines and thrown violently back in, causing substantial damage. The suit lists 14 reasons the ship's operators allegedly breached duties including failing to maintain speed and failing to operate the vessel safely. The incident prompted police to clear the Ravenel Bridge of drivers and pedestrians as a safety precaution until the ship was able to regain control of its engines. It remained stationary at the Union Pier Terminal in Charleston as of June 13.

Propulsion speed control system failure behind bridge incident

The 'MSC Michigan VII', which had prompted a multi-agency response in Charleston on June 5, had suffered a failure of its propulsion speed control systems as it headed toward the Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge. The US Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Charleston command center watchstanders received a report at 12:17 p.m. from the Charleston Harbor Pilots dispatch that the ship was experiencing a malfunction with the systems controlling its propulsion on the Cooper River while outbound from the North Charleston Container Terminal. As a precaution, local law enforcement closed vehicle traffic to the Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge and Fort Moultrie Beach was evacuated. The bridge reopened once the vessel safely passed underneath. The ship transited the river at speeds of between 15-17 knots as police scrambled to clear cyclists and pedestrians from the bridge before the vessel passed beneath it. The vessel has been issued a Captain of the Port order and remained stationary in port as of June 7. USCG Charleston Sector deputy commander Cmdr Randy Preston praised state and local officials as well as the vessel’s pilots for their work in ensuring the vessel’s safe transit. There were no reports of serious injuries associated with the incident. The USCG vessel and facility inspectors were currently conducting damage assessments throughout the port and federal aids to navigation in the area are being assessed to ensure there were no discrepancies as a result of this incident, and the incident is under investigation.