USCG Detains Foreign Freight Vessel Again

USCG inspectors in Dutch Harbor detained 281-ft. freight ship Jacha for the third time since Aug. 1998 due to Safety of Life At Sea violations (SOLAS). Inspectors found seven discrepancies aboard 14-year-old Jacha, including fire doors that didn't close properly, an incompetent fire drill and water leaks on the vessel's main engine. Due to Jacha's history of safety discrepancies, this time, it is not permitted to conduct any cargo operations, bunkering operations or move within the port until some of the discrepancies are corrected to the satisfaction of the Captain of the Port. Flagged in Panama, Jacha is not an unfamiliar site in the port of Dutch Harbor/Unalaska. In fact, five of the last six times the vessel has pulled into Dutch Harbor, the USCG has either detained it for safety violations, or placed it under a Captain of the Port Order. Foreign vessels transiting U.S. waters are boarded by the USCG regularly to ensure they meet stringent U.S. laws and regulations. According to Chief Warrant Officer Alfred Jackson, a USCG inspector assigned to the Marine Safety Detachment in Dutch Harbor, the condition of these foreign vessels is often substandard; particularly those flagged in Panama. Jacha, owned by Boyang Ltd., Dong-Ku, Pusan, South Korea, was last detained in Dutch Harbor in July for 25 SOLAS violations, including leaks around fuel return lines, plastic bags covering smoke detectors, rags stuffed in the CO2 fire fighting system, exposed bare wires on engine room lighting fixtures and oil and oily rags in the engine room.