Unsafe Vessel - Unsafe Vessel
Initial Report
A report was received on the poor condition of a vessel and the lack of support from the Designated Person Ashore (DPA).
What did the reporter tell us?
The general condition of the vessel is extremely bad with thick rust scale everywhere. The following items are defective:
Nearly all the vessel certificates, including certificate of class, have expired. All safety equipment requires servicing, including all BA sets, which are defective. The rescue boat davit requires to be serviced. The liferafts are out of date. All medical stores are out of date with no order for replacements. All nautical publications are out of date and no company has been contracted to supply new chart editions or corrections. Several expired navigation charts have not been replaced. Manning is below that required by the safe manning certificate. GMDSS outfit is still programmed with Old MMSI number. AIS has the wrong MMSI. All lifejackets have holes in them. Records are routinely falsified to show work carried out when nothing has been done. No proper navigation watch maintained while the ship is at anchor. We experienced severe shortage of food onboard. Crew is owed seven months wages. Bilges are routinely discharged during the hours of darkness. Galley waste is dumped overboard despite being less than one mile from shore. The vessel is entered into a P&I club. There is no support from the company ashore, the DPA does not have a deputy so when he goes on leave, there is no DPA, or any contact number. The accommodation is substandard with bunks not secured and two members of the crew are living in a container on deck.
CHIRP contacted the third party ship managers –and received the following reply. “Your suggestions that safety standards and other matters concerning the operation of this vessel do not comply with obligations relating to this ship’s registration are not accepted. The vessel complies fully with all the requirements that the maritime authorities of the state have stipulated and which are periodically monitored and audited whilst engaged in activities within the confines of the country”.
CHIRP Comment
It should be noted that the vessel had undergone three rapid changes of Flag in the months prior to arrival at its current location. Compliance with both the ISM Code and the MLC 2006 Convention, including the Manila Amendments, appears to be woefully substandard. CHIRP tried to contact the local Port State Control but email/web site contacts are not functioning. Investigation into IMO records reveals the government authority has not conducted any Port State Control inspections for some considerable time.
CHIRP applauds the reporter for submitting the report. CHIRP has written to IMO’s Chairman of the Implementation of IMO Instruments sub-committee, sharing the issues that have been raised in this report.