Gladstone Magistrates Court has fined a shipping company, owner of a bulk carrier, $63,000 for failing to comply with an Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) written direction and ordered them to pay court costs.
The Liberia-flagged bulk carrier entered the port of Gladstone in October 2023 due to propulsion issues.
The vessel undertook extensive work in November 2023 which allegedly failed, according to AMSA, to repair the ship’s propulsion.
Concerned with the lack of an effective repair plan, together with cyclone season approaching and the increased risk of a large ship with no propulsion within the Great Barrier Reef region, a written direction notice was issued by AMSA to provide a towage and fault rectification plan.
After unsuccessful attempts to restore the vessel’s propulsion system, the vessel was eventually towed from Australian waters in February 2024 to an overseas port and subsequently banned from Australian waters for a period of 6 months.
Failure to act on a direction issued by AMSA is a serious violation of the Navigation Act 2012 and carries severe consequences.
Michael Drake, AMSA executive director operations, said ignoring lawful directions from AMSA is not an acceptable option.
“AMSA will consider swift and strong action if issued directions are not acted on promptly and in full. This may, in some cases, result in prosecution.”
“In this case, with a cyclone bearing down on the port, the consequences of not engaging a towage vessel to move the vessel out of the port, could have been catastrophic.
“We will not compromise on the safety of vessels and crew, or any potential threat to the community or environment,” Drake said.
During the 2023-24 financial year, AMSA issued 57 directions to vessels and operators in relation to safety breaches, mechanical deficiencies and maritime labour issues.
