Noncompliant Cargo Ship Banned from Australia
The 86-meter general cargo ship Noah Satu has been prohibited from entering or using any Australian ports for the second time in less than 12 months, following another round of safety, environmental and regulatory infractions. The direction was issued by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) on February 4 and will remain in effect for 12 months.
Noah Satu (IMO9313620), owned by PT Anugerah Samudra Indomakur and on charter to Orica Singapore, has been detained by AMSA five times since August 2013 for deficiencies related to its equipment, its operations, its safety management system and noncompliance with the Maritime Labor Convention. The safety management system detentions resulted from repeated failings related to navigation safety, compliance with pollution prevention requirements and fire safety.
The Noah Satu was previously banned from Australian ports for three months in September 2015 for repeated noncompliance with Australian maritime regulations.
The vessel returned to Australian waters on January 26, 2016 and was subject to a port State control inspection in Port Alma, Queensland, after which the vessel was again detained, due to failings in the vessel’s safety management system related to safe navigational practice, communications, pollution prevention arrangements, firefighting systems and hours of work and rest for the seafarers.
In visits to Australian ports over the past year, the vessel has also failed to comply with all the mandatory reporting requirements for vessels transiting the Great Barrier Reef area.
AMSA said it has identified serious and repeated failings in the vessel’s operations and maintenance, indicating the vessel is unable to ensure compliance with the Safety of Life at Sea Convention, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and the Maritime Labor Convention.
As the Noah Satu was previously banned for three months, the current direction will remain in place for 12 months, until February 2, 2017. The purpose of the escalated action is to encourage operators of poorly performing ships to improve the performance of their vessels, noting that other intervention activities are not achieving the required safety culture change.
AMSA Chief Executive Officer, Mick Kinley, said AMSA has a responsibility to ensure ships visiting Australian ports comply with the standards established by the International Maritime Organization and the International Labor Organization.
“The performance of this vessel is completely unacceptable. Unsafe vessels put the lives of seafarers at risk and pose a threat to Australia’s marine environment,” Kinley said. “Operators and charterers of ships that repeatedly fail to meet Australian standards need to accept that these ships are not welcome in Australian waters.”
