MSC Shipmanagement and the chief engineer of the containership MSC Michigan VII appeared in federal court on Monday, August 10, pleading guilty and accepting fines over the 2024 incident in which the vessel made a full-speed runaway transit through Charleston harbor. The company was sentenced to a $6 million criminal fine, ordered to conduct a root-cause analysis, and placed on four years’ probation for failing to report a hazardous condition and obstructing NTSB and Coast Guard investigators.

Chief Engineer Fernando San Diego San Juan was fined $2,000 and will be returned to the Philippines. Investigators found that the linkage rod between the vessel’s governor and fuel rack had disconnected, leaving the main engine running at full power with the crew unable to control speed. Engine department crew had loosened the rod’s securing nuts and removed its locking washers so the rod could be manually adjusted to hit ordered RPMs — a practice court filings state should only be performed by trained technicians.

The 6,648-TEU vessel ran through the harbor at 16 to 17 knots, roughly four times the local speed limit. The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge was closed and evacuated, two people ashore were injured by the vessel’s wash, and moored vessels and piers were damaged before the crew regained control outside the harbor.

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