THE cargo laden forward section of the doomed 8,000-TEU MOL Comfort that split in two in a storm on June 17 is rolling in a storm and losing containers from the deck into the Arabian Sea.

The after section has been under tow since late Monday or early Tuesday off the coast of Oman where it may put into an unspecified port. Salalah has been considered.

"The aft part is rolling heavily in adverse weather, ingressing water in the cargo hold and the loss of containers on deck is progressing. The fore part is being towed stably with majority of cargo aboard," said the latest daily MOL bulletin.

"The fore part is located near 15'52"N 68'53"E. The aft part is drifting near 14'13"N 66'04"E in an east-northeast direction. The weather at the site is still adverse," the bulletin said.

According to shipping-building industry experts, reported the Times of Oman, damage can be attributed to basic design and building flaws, a serious imbalance in the weight of the loaded containers due to false cargo weight declarations, and a faulty cargo plan or faulty ballasting in the containership.

MOL ships of the same age and size are being examined for design faults by the company itself, the shipbuilder and a Japanese classification society as well as the crews checking out such ships at sea.