Container stowage – a matter of cooperation or liability

Jason Chuah, University of Westminster

Computer technology invariably plays a very important role in modern shipping. A failure of the computing systems in cargo planning and handling can have a devastating effect, as the recent Marine Accident Investigation Branch’s (MAIB) report on the Annabella reveals. Readers will recall that, in February 2007, the Annabella had been on passage in the Baltic Sea en route to Helsinki. Rough sea conditions caused the ship to pitch and roll. The crew soon realised that something was seriously wrong and investigated. It transpired that seven 30 foot cargo containers had collapsed against the forward part of the hold. The top three containers were tank containers carrying a hazardous substance, butylene gas. The damage could potentially have been very serious but fortunately it was controlled with the ship promptly being boarded by the Finnish maritime authorities and diverted from Helsinki to Kotka, a less populous area.