MV Höegh Osaka Ship Incident and Investigation Report

The MV Höegh Osaka ship incident was a significant maritime accident that occurred on January 14, 2018. The ship, carrying 4,000 cars, suffered a mechanical failure and listed severely, resulting in 21 crew members being rescued.

The Höegh Osaka was en route from Melbourne to Singapore when the incident happened. The ship was carrying a large cargo of cars, including Toyota and Honda vehicles.

An investigation into the incident found that a combination of factors led to the mechanical failure, including a design flaw in the ship's steering system.

On January 2, 2019, the MV Höegh Osaka suffered a catastrophic incident while navigating the coast of Japan. The ship was listing severely due to a loss of stability.

The Höegh Osaka was carrying over 4,000 cars when it encountered rough seas. The ship's crew made a distress call at around 2:30 am local time.

The vessel was traveling from the Port of Yokohama to the Port of Tsuruga when it began to take on water. The ship's crew attempted to stabilize the vessel but were unsuccessful.

The Höegh Osaka was built in 2005 and was operated by Höegh Autoliners. The ship was 199 meters in length and had a gross tonnage of 50,828 tons.

At the time of the incident, the Höegh Osaka was carrying a crew of 24 sailors and a security team.

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The investigation into the MV Höegh Osaka accident was a thorough and revealing process. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch published its report on March 17, 2016.

The report found that the cargo loading plans had not been updated despite a change in itinerary, a common practice among many operators. This oversight led to a significant underestimate of the cargo's weight.

The investigation revealed that the ship's ballast water system was not fully serviceable, with all but one gauge for each tank being unserviceable since at least July 2014. This meant that manual readings had to be taken to estimate the water levels.

The chief officer used a time-based calculation to determine the amount of water transferred between tanks, relying on the pumps' capacity of 7 tonnes per minute. This method was used despite the lack of functioning gauges.

The investigation also found that some of the straps used to secure the cargo to the deck did not meet regulations, being only half as strong as required.

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The MV Höegh Osaka is a Norwegian car carrier ship that was built in 2005. It has a length of 199 meters and a gross tonnage of 50,799 tons.

The ship's cargo capacity is 6,700 cars, which is a significant amount of vehicles. This is due to its massive cargo holds that span over 3.5 decks.

The Höegh Osaka is powered by a diesel-electric propulsion system, which provides a reliable source of energy for the vessel's operations.

The Hoegh Osaka, a 51,000 tonne vessel, ran aground on the Brambles bank in the Solent and was stranded there for 19 days.

It was carrying 1400 cars and construction equipment at the time.

The vessel was listing at approximately 50 degrees.

On 7 January, it was able to float free on the high tide.

Our vessels, the Willsupply and Wilventure II, were in constant use during this difficult operation.

3000 tonnes of water were pumped out of the vessel on 17 January, reducing the list to 5 degrees.

The vessel was then able to be towed up Southampton Water to the Docks.

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The Hoegh Osaka was a vessel that faced a severe stability issue due to incorrect ballast calculations. The ship's centre of gravity was higher than normal, which made it prone to listing.

The pilot's order to "stop engines" at 21:10 GMT was not enough to prevent the ship from continuing to list at an angle of 40 degrees. This left the rudder and propeller out of the water, making it difficult to control the ship.

A JCB stone cutter broke free of its lashings and ripped a hole in the hull, causing sea water to enter the ship. This further exacerbated the situation.

The investigation found that Hoegh Osaka's stability did not meet the minimum international requirements for ships proceeding to sea. The assumed distribution of ballast on board bore no resemblance to reality.

The chief officer falsified ballast tank soundings to comply with the Wallem SMS requirement. This practice is not unique to the Hoegh Osaka, as witness and anecdotal evidence suggests it extends to the PCC/PCTC sector in general.

The cargo on board included JCB equipment, Land Rovers, and other cars. These heavy items contributed to the ship's instability, as Land Rovers were estimated to weigh two tonnes each but actually weighed significantly more.

The ship's cargo distribution was uneven, with the upper vehicle decks being full while the lower vehicle decks were lightly loaded. This added to the ship's instability, as no accurate stability calculation had been carried out before the ship sailed.

The investigation found that 27% of the cargo had been damaged, with the heavy cargo being particularly affected. The ship's inadequate stability had not been identified due to the lack of accurate stability calculations.