APL England detained in Brisbane after losing containers overboard

Last night, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) detained the APL England in the Port of Brisbane, following the loss of about 40 containers off Sydney on Sunday.

AMSA inspections found inadequate lashing arrangements for cargo and heavily corroded securing points for containers on the deck, showing a clear breach of requirements under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). AMSA said the detention will not be lifted until these deficiencies are fixed.

“We are expecting the ship owner and its insurer to take full responsibility for addressing any impacts of this incident,” said AMSA in a statement. “Last night our Challenger jet conducted a search of the NSW coastline to assist in locating and identifying semi-submerged containers in the water. The flight identified two targets which we now know are five containers, including one set of four containers locked together.”


Ausmarine

Published since 1978, Ausmarine is the foremost magazine servicing the Australian and New Zealand commercial, military and government marine sectors.