Msc-Michigan-Vii

The chief engineer who was working on the 'MSC Michigan VII' in June 2024, when the vessel had a runaway incident as it was departing Charleston, South Carolina, entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office. In filing the agreement in the U.S. District Court in South Carolina, the U.S. Attorney’s office revealed a litany of problems aboard the vessel, which the crew was dealing with before the governor controlling the main engine failed on June 5, 2024, causing the vessel to reach speeds of up to 16 to 17 knots, more than twice the legal limit, in Charleston. Fernando San Diego San Juan, aged 61, and a Filipino national, had joined the vessel as chief engineer in April 2024. Under the terms of the agreement, he agreed to plead guilty to one count that he failed to report a hazardous condition to the U.S. Coast Guard when the ship arrived in South Carolina, and a second charge that he obstructed the investigation after the incident by giving false information to the USCG and National Transportation Safety Board investigators as well as instructing another engineer not to tell the investigators about the actions taken aboard the vessel that caused the incident. Further, they report the pilot had not been advised of any mechanical issues with the vessel. According to a detailed Stipulation of Facts in Support of Guilty Plea filed with the court, San Juan was only given a five-hour handover briefing when he joined the vessel, which they call “insufficient” for him to have obtained a complete picture of the status of the engine room and all the vessel’s critical machinery. They stated that he discovered that there were numerous problems with equipment in the engine room. They cite oil and air leaking from the crankcase safety valve of the Main Air Compressor for the main engine, and the day before the incident, he also observed the second main air compressor was not functioning properly. It could only achieve approximately 60 percent of its rated capacity. San Juan wrote up the issues, and they were reported to the master of the vessel, who notified the shoreside office of the management company. Other problems included a reduced capacity on the generators, meaning that many times the bow thruster could not be used while maneuvering. The vessel’s freshwater cooling system is also reported to have had a leak, and the cooling water for the lube oil system had developed a leak. As early as April 24, San Juan was aware that the RPMs ordered by the bridge telegraph were not always being achieved by the main engine. The only way to achieve them was to manually adjust the length of the linkage rod between the governor and the fuel rack. They report this was in part due to the poor condition of the main engine fuel injector systems and leakages in the barrels and plungers when using lower viscosity, low-sulfur fuel. The main engine required more fuel to achieve the ordered RPMs when using the lower viscosity fuel. They assert the defendant knew the manual adjustments were hazardous because they could cause the linkage rod to fail. The'MSC Michigan VII' was departing Charleston at midday on June 5. After completing a turn and starting its departure, the third engineer realized the main engine was not achieving the ordered RPM. He left the control room to adjust the governor, and soon thereafter, the linkage rod disconnected from the governor. The defendant tried several times unsuccessfully to reconnect the linkage rod. While a fitter was working to repair the rod, the ship became a runaway, unable to slow the main engine. The authorities ordered a main roadway bridge crossing the port, the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, to be closed and evacuated local beaches. As the ship sped out of the harbour, it was charged that it caused more than $500,000 in damages along the shoreline. The crew was able to stop the engine by the time the ship exited the harbor. It anchored and was brought back into the port, where it was detained for 44 days by the USCG. The following day, they wrote in the statement of fact that the defendant told investigators that the crew never adjusted the linkage rod and that only a qualified technician would adjust the linkage rod. Further, the court papers stated that the defendant approached the vessel’s fourth engineer, telling him to repeat the statements that they had not adjusted the rod. The plea agreement highlighted that the first charge of failing to report the hazardous condition on the vessel has a maximum sentence of six years imprisonment and/or a fine of $250,000, as well as a term of up to three years supervised release. The charge of obstructing the proceeding also has a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and/or a fine of $250,000, as well as up to three years supervised release. No date was announced for the sentencing.

The "MSC Michigan VII" was detained on July 23, 2025, in Felixstowe with 27 deficiencies six of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Labour conditions - Cleanliness of engine room Not as required 2) Fire safety - Fire detection and alarm system Inoperative 3) Fire safety - Remote Means of control (Machinery spaces) Inoperative 4) Fire safety - Other (Fire safety) Other 5) Propulsion and auxiliary machinery - Propulsion main engine Not as required 6) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on July 29 and left the port enroute to Rotterdam on July 30, dropping anchor in pos. 51° 55' N 003° 35' E, where it remained stationary as of July 31. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

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/

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.

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.