AUSTRALIAN Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned on June 3 the Cypriot-flagged bulk carrier Peace owned by Greek firm Danaos Shipping from entering Australian ports for three months for being 'unseaworthy', according to Singapore's Splash 247.
Danaos Shipping also operates the container ship Suez Canal which was detained by the Authority in January this year.
AMSA acting executive director of operations, Greg Witherall, said Danaos Shipping's failures with the Suez Canal gave the authority 'serious cause for concern about other ships operated by the company' which led to an increasing frequency of inspections.
The Authority even issued Danaos Shipping with a formal letter of warning, urging the company to rectify the systemic issues on the detained vessel.
'Clearly that letter of warning fell on deaf ears. Fast forward five months and we have had yet another one of Danaos Shipping's vessels, the Peace, detained in an Australian port for a lack of maintenance and serious deterioration of fixtures and fittings such as hatches,' Mr Witherall said.
According to him, the state of the 2010-built vessel was so poor that it 'represented a very real and unacceptable risk to the safety of seafarers onboard and Australia's marine environment' adding that 'ships cannot be operated in this unseaworthy state.'
Mr Witherall claimed that watertight and weathertight failures on the vessel had 'catastrophic potential'. The vessel was detained in Australia on May 31, 2024, and was released on Monday after the deficiencies were rectified.
'That is why we have taken the next step of banning this ship from entering an Australian port again for three months. Further action may be taken against the company itself should Danaos Shipping continue down this trajectory of operating unseaworthy ships,' he concluded.
SeaNews Turkey
Danaos Shipping also operates the container ship Suez Canal which was detained by the Authority in January this year.
AMSA acting executive director of operations, Greg Witherall, said Danaos Shipping's failures with the Suez Canal gave the authority 'serious cause for concern about other ships operated by the company' which led to an increasing frequency of inspections.
The Authority even issued Danaos Shipping with a formal letter of warning, urging the company to rectify the systemic issues on the detained vessel.
'Clearly that letter of warning fell on deaf ears. Fast forward five months and we have had yet another one of Danaos Shipping's vessels, the Peace, detained in an Australian port for a lack of maintenance and serious deterioration of fixtures and fittings such as hatches,' Mr Witherall said.
According to him, the state of the 2010-built vessel was so poor that it 'represented a very real and unacceptable risk to the safety of seafarers onboard and Australia's marine environment' adding that 'ships cannot be operated in this unseaworthy state.'
Mr Witherall claimed that watertight and weathertight failures on the vessel had 'catastrophic potential'. The vessel was detained in Australia on May 31, 2024, and was released on Monday after the deficiencies were rectified.
'That is why we have taken the next step of banning this ship from entering an Australian port again for three months. Further action may be taken against the company itself should Danaos Shipping continue down this trajectory of operating unseaworthy ships,' he concluded.
SeaNews Turkey
