MSC Shipmanagement Fined $6M Over Charleston Runaway Ship

Guilty Plea Over Concealed Engine Fault

MSC Shipmanagement has been fined $6 million and placed on four years’ probation after admitting it concealed a hazardous engine-control problem aboard the containership MSC Michigan VII and obstructed the subsequent US investigation, according to a report by Splash247. The Cyprus-based operator pleaded guilty to failing to report the hazardous condition to the US Coast Guard and to obstructing an investigation carried out jointly by the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. As part of the plea, the company must also conduct a root-cause analysis of the machinery problems found on the vessel.

The ship’s chief engineer, Fernando San Diego San Juan, who had already pleaded guilty to the same offences, was separately fined $2,000.

The Charleston Harbor Incident

The case traces back to June 2024, when the MSC Michigan VII lost control of its main engine while outbound on the Cooper River in Charleston Harbor. The vessel accelerated to between 16 and 17 knots, prompting authorities to evacuate the Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge, clear nearby beaches, and halt traffic in the shipping channel. A pilot managed to steer the ship under the bridge and into open water. The vessel’s wake injured two recreational boaters and damaged other vessels and port facilities, with losses estimated at more than $500,000.

Unqualified Repairs Behind the Failure

According to the admissions made by MSC Shipmanagement and San Juan, engineers had been manually adjusting the linkage rod connecting the engine governor to the fuel rack when the engine stopped responding to bridge commands. None of the crew involved was qualified to perform that work. The nuts securing both ends of the rod had been loosened to ease adjustments, and locking washers meant to hold the assembly in place had been removed. The linkage came apart during the outbound transit, leaving the main engine unable to slow down.

San Juan initially denied that the crew had adjusted the rod or that there had been delays between bridge orders and engine response, and he reportedly instructed three crewmembers to repeat that account to investigators.

Detention and Ongoing Investigation

The Coast Guard detained the vessel in Charleston for roughly six weeks before allowing it to depart under a three-tug escort. The NTSB’s probable-cause investigation into the incident remains open.