MOL strengthens safety culture 20 years after GIANT STEP accident　商船三井、GIANT STEP事故20年で安全文化の継承強化

October designated Safety Enhancement Month to pass lessons from major maritime casualty to next generation

10月を「安全強化月間」に設定、重大海難の教訓を次世代へ

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced on October 13 that it had held a memorial ceremony and beach clean-up on October 8 at Nikkawahama Beach, near the site of the grounding and sinking of the large iron ore carrier GIANT STEP off the Kashimanada coast in Ibaraki Prefecture in 2006, marking the 20th anniversary of the accident.

The reporter also visited Kashimanada 20 years ago to cover the grounding of GIANT STEP. The site, facing the Pacific Ocean, was exposed to strong winds and rain, and the reporter witnessed the stranded vessel being shifted by powerful currents from one weekend to the next. The scenes from that time remain vivid in the reporter’s memory.

■ The full article covers the following topics (approximately 2,000 Japanese characters)

→ Twenty years after the GIANT STEP accident, what lessons is MOL passing on to the next generation as it renews its commitment to safe operations?

→ As fewer employees remember the accident, MOL has designated October as Safety Enhancement Month. How will it pass its safety culture on to the next generation?

→ MOL’s Safety Operation Supporting Center supports vessels 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. How was its safety support system strengthened following the major maritime accident?

→ A huge vessel exposed to wind, rain and powerful currents, shifting position over time. The reporter’s memories of the accident scene at Kashimanada 20 years ago.

→ MOL continues its memorial ceremonies and beach clean-ups. A total of 179 participants gathered at the site to carry the lessons of the accident into day-to-day safe operations.

Photo courtesy of MOL

(Please read the full article in the paid edition, available in English and Japanese. The Japanese version follows the English article.)

商船三井、GIANT STEP事故20年で安全文化の継承強化

10月を「安全強化月間」に設定、重大海難の教訓を次世代へ

　商船三井は13日、2006年に茨城県鹿島灘で発生した大型鉄鉱石運搬船「GIANT STEP」の座礁・沈没事故から20年を迎え、事故現場に近い日川浜海水浴場で8日に慰霊式典と海岸清掃を実施したと発表した。

　記者も20年前、GIANT STEPの座礁現場となった鹿島灘で取材した。太平洋に面する現場は風雨が強く、座礁した巨大船の位置が週末ごとに強い潮流によって移動していく様子を目の当たりにした。当時の光景は今も記憶に残っている。

■記事本文では以下の内容を読むことができます（記事全文約2,000文字）

→ GIANT STEP事故から20年、商船三井が安全運航への決意を新たにし、次世代へ伝える教訓とは。

→ 事故を知る社員が減る中、10月を「安全強化月間」に設定。安全文化を次世代へどう伝えるか。

→ 24時間365日、本船を支える安全運航支援センター。重大海難を経て強化された安全支援体制。

→ 風雨と潮流にさらされ、移動を続けた巨大船。20年前、鹿島灘で記者が目撃した事故現場の記憶。

→ 慰霊と海岸清掃を続ける商船三井。179人が現地に集い、事故の教訓を日々の安全運航につなぐ。

（続きは英語と日本語で書かれた有料版の本文でお読みください。日本語の記事は英文記事に続いて掲載されています）