Maritime business files lawsuit against wayward cargo ship over damage

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A maritime business along the Cooper River has filed a lawsuit against a shipping vessel that lost its propulsion control after leaving port last week.

Carver Maritime, LLC, an industrial port equipped with shipping and warehouse storage operations, conducts business on Pierside Street in North Charleston. The company claims that negligence by MSC Michigan VII caused damage to its pier and property.

Officials said the MSC Michigan VII had left the North Charleston Terminal on June 5 when engines began increasing speed without warning and would not respond to commands. Operating in “full ahead,” the lawsuit states the ship traveled past the plaintiff’s pier along the Cooper River at a forward speed of over 15 knots, which is roughly twice the normal speed for that section of the waterway.

At the time, a vessel known as the M/V Norway Pearl was moored at ‘Pier J’, and was undergoing cargo operations.

“As the vessel sped past Pier J, it displaced a tremendous amount of water and generated a very large wake. The vessel’s excessive speed adjacent to Pier J caused the water level to drop considerably in a very short amount of time, sucked the Norway Pearl away from the pier until all of its mooring lines became extremely taut, and then forced it back violently into Pier J causing substantial damage to Pier J and its components,” the lawsuit states.

Officials with the United States Coast Guard previously noted that damage did occur around Charleston Harbor due to the ship’s wake, including broken mooring lines, and damaged mooring fittings and gangways.

“Defendants had a duty to ensure that the vessel traveled at a safe speed within the confines of the Cooper River and Charleston Harbor to prevent damage to lives and property,” the lawsuit said.

Carver Maritime claims the vessel’s crew breached their duty by failing to maintain a safe speed and by navigating too close to Pier J, among other concerns.

They are seeking arrest and a maritime lien of enforcement against the vessel, meaning the ship is taken into custody by the U.S. marshal. The ship’s owner would need to pay any outstanding debt or sell the vessel to pay off the lien.

MSC Michigan VII, MSC Shipmanagement, Ltd., and Kyveli Oceanway, Ltd. are all named in the lawsuit. News 2 has reached out to the company for comment, we are waiting to hear back.