Lookout! – issue 14, September 2009

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Even before the MNZ inspection team boarded the vessel, they noted a discharge that looked like oil coming from the aft mooring deck. The crew claimed they had discharged food waste over the aft end of the vessel, and that the residue was cooking oil.

The vessel’s liferafts had been roped into place
and couldn’t have floated free if the ship sank.

However, an inspection showed evidence that the same residue had been lifted out of the steering flat in the engine room, and through a hatch onto the aft deck for disposal. The evidence was passed on to the vessel’s flag state for investigation into what appears to have been a breach of MARPOL convention.*

The inspectors also noted that the vessel’s liferafts and lifeboats had been lashed into place – they couldn’t have floated free if the ship had sunk. The crew were required to immediately remove the lashings and ensure the equipment was ready for use. Two of the brackets holding the lifeboats in place were also found to be significantly corroded and were starting to deform.

Other serious issues were identified. On the aft mooring deck, a grating surrounding one of the winch operating stations had corroded and been repaired with tape before being painted over. The operating hand wheel for a fire damper also broke off when it was operated – in a fire, the damper would have been useless.

The operating wheel for a fire damper broke off
when it was operated.

Perhaps most concerning, just 12 months after a person had been killed by a mooring rope failure, 3 of the vessel’s mooring ropes were found to be deficient and not fit for use.

After finding these deficiencies the inspection was stopped, and the vessel was detained for 6 days while maintenance was carried out. To put the vessel’s 29 deficiencies into perspective, the average number of deficiencies found during such inspections last year was a little over two.

The vessel was released after reinspection, and was able to complete her cargo loading and depart soon after.

*MARPOL (short for marine pollution) is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.

LOOKOUT! POINTS

1. All vessels coming to New Zealand ports face the prospect of inspection by MNZ.
2. Substandard vessels not compliant with international conventions face detention until corrective action is taken. This can result in significant delays and adverse reports to the flag state authorities. It can also result in commercial losses.
3. It is the responsibility of the vessel’s operator to identify and correct any faults found – in this case, a functioning inspection regime on board would have identified and allowed correction of the faults before MNZ inspected the vessel.

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