A port state inspection by Norwegian authorities has revealed a number of deficiencies found on board a container vessel that had run aground in northern Norway late last week.
The investigation is being conducted to determine the events that led to the grounding of the feeder containership NCL Salten near the town of Lauvset on May 22.
The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) discovered that NCL Salten's bridge navigation watch alarm system (BNWAS) was already switched off by the time it ran aground.
This finding supports the claim of the ship's second officer, who has admitted to having fallen asleep just before the incident but insisted that the BNWAS did not emit any warning sounds.
The second officer was also serving as the on-duty navigator when the ship ran aground and narrowly missed some houses. He has since been charged with negligence in connection with the incident.
An NMA official said the grounding could have been avoided if the BNWAS had been switched on, local newspaper NRK reported.
The NMA investigation also revealed that the ship's ISM system did not meet requirements, though details on the exact nature of the deficiencies have not been disclosed to the media.
Other issues that were identified are in connection with the ship's emergency exits, some of which have hatches that are difficult to open as they are too heavy.
NCL Salten has since been refloated and towed to Orkanger. However, the NMA has requested that Cyprus, as flag state of the vessel, issue a written confirmation as a prerequisite before any repairs could be undertaken at a designated shipyard.
The repairs would cover the BNWAS, the exit hatches, and the damage suffered by the hull during the grounding.