Cargo Ship Banned from Australian Ports by the AMSA for Repeated Offenses
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned the general cargo vessel MARSGRACHT from entering any Australian port for 180 days. The AMSA has cited repeated offenses of the MARSGRACHT as the reason for the drastic measure.
The MARSGRACHT was initially detained at PORT ALMA in Australia on 6th February earlier this year. The vessel was detained for the improper storage of dangerous cargo aboard the vessel. The storage methods were reported to be in violation of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code issued by the IMO.
Around nine months later, on 14th November, the vessel was detained again at the same port when a Port State Control inspection revealed improper storage of dangerous goods yet again.
In addition to this, the operator of the vessel, Spliethoff's Bevrachtingskantoor B.V. has had four detentions for its vessels at Australian ports. The AMSA tracks operators that have a poor track record and has reported that the Spliethoff's Bevrachtingskantoor B.V. has a detention rate of 12.6%, which is well above average.
The AMSA claimed that they enforce International Minimum Standards and that they take swift action against unsafe ships and their owners.
