Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Seaspan Corporation conducted a joint crisis management drill based on a simulated scenario of ONE’s chartered vessel involved in a collision incident.
The joint exercise was a success with about 80 participants from ONE’s Global Headquarters (GHQ) in Singapore, regional headquarters in Sao Paulo and Seaspan Corporation’s Principal Operations Management office in Vancouver, Canada. The drill involved colleagues executing procedures, reviewing possible responses, and examining emergency measures.
A collision between a ONE chartered container vessel and bulk carrier off Callao, Peru, resulting in a crack on the side hull of the container vessel and associated compartments, causing some bunker fuel oil spillage on the sea’s surface and a fire in the breached cargo hold that contained hazardous cargo. Some containers from the deck fell overboard due to the impact of the collision, with a few containing environmentally hazardous goods. The scene of the accident was reported by the media and many photos and videos were posted on social network sites. 1) Upon receiving an urgent incident report, a crisis management centre was set up by ONE GHQ to handle first response tasks such as information gathering and to establish communication flow processes among the related parties. 2) ONE assumed a crucial role, together with Seaspan Corporation as the ship owner and ONE’s regional headquarters, to control and manage the situation. 3) ONE conscientiously took appropriate measures to mitigate the negative impact to customers as well as the general public and global environment, cooperating with Seaspan Corporation and related parties. Regular updates were published through media statements and advisories as the situation progressed.
This simulated drill has strengthened ONE’s crisis management capability, and has proven that the organization is constantly prepared to respond in times of emergency under any circumstance.
