Training ship holds anti-piracy drill

The Japanese coast guard and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) have conducted an anti-piracy / terrorism drill on board MOL’s training ship, ‘Spirit of MOL’.

The exercise was held in the South China Sea on November 17. The training was based on a scenario in which a high-speed boat, suspected of plotting a seajacking, was tailing the ‘Spirit of MOL’. During the drill, the coast guard’s patrol ship ‘Shikishima’ hurried to site, and marine safety officers boarded the ‘Spirit of MOL’. The drill helped establish the effectiveness of MOL’s crisis management programs as well as its communication systems and methods. This drill proved to be an invaluable lesson for the 170 trainees serving onboard the training ship. The trainees were reviewed and tested on the steps they had followed in case of an attack by pirates or terrorists. The trainees sent out security warnings to report a possible seajacking to the vessel’s ship management company, M.O. Cable Ship and the Japanese Coast Guard. To prevent the seajackers from boarding the vessel, the crew sprayed water, locked all doors and conducted emergency vessel handling. Upon receiving the report from the vessel, the ship management company immediately conveyed the information to MOL’s Safety Operation Supporting Center at the head office, which works 24/7 to enhance the safety of all MOL-operated vessels. After receiving the report from the ‘Spirit of MOL”, the coast guard dispatched the ‘Shikishima’, which was on anti-piracy / terrorism patrol in to the training ship’s location.
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