Australia as part of its focus on maritime safety reports it took the step to ban from its waters for 90 days a general cargo ship.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned the Antigua Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship BBC Weser from Australian waters for 90 days for being “in an unsafe and unseaworthy condition and an unacceptable risk to Australia’s precious marine and coastal environments,” as the authority claims today in a statement.
AMSA detained the ship in May 2023, after inspectors found a significant number of ballast air vents onboard were defective.
This is the second ship AMSA has banned from Australian waters in a week, following the 90-day ban issued to the Babuza Wisdom.
AMSA reiterates that functional ballast air vents are critical safety components that prevent water entering a ship, while allowing air to escape, preventing a dangerous vacuum from developing inside a tank.
AMSA Executive Director of Operations Michael Drake said the banning sent a clear message to the operator, and the wider shipping industry, that sub-standard ships will not be tolerated in Australian waters.
“The defects on the BBC Weser are especially concerning,” said Mr. Drake, “They are detainable deficiencies that would have been obvious to anyone onboard, and that the operator could not have pleaded ignorance to.”
The authority also mentions that “sub-standard ships and their operators have been warned.”
