The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned a second vessel owned by German shipping company Briese Heavylift from Australian waters in a crackdown on unsafe and unseaworthy vessels.
AMSA issued a 180-day ban on the general cargo ship BBC Pearl after inspectors found multiple failures of the safety management system as well as a defective emergency generator and defective fire dampers during a port state control inspection in Cairns.
The vessel was detained in Cairns for four days until the serious deficiencies were rectified before it proceeded to Port Hedland where the banning notice was issued.
This is the second banning of a Briese Heavylift vessel in the past month, following the 90-day ban issued to BBC Weser on June 12.
This operator has a history of poor performance, with AMSA issuing multiple warnings that future safety violations would lead to strict enforcement action.
AMSA Executive Director of Operations Michael Drake said that the safety violations on BBC Pearl were alarming and posed a real safety risk to the seafarers on board.
"The defective emergency generator would render the vessel helpless in the event of a main power supply failure, and this is the second time BBC Pearl has been detained for a defective emergency generator," Mr Drake said. "These are clear violations of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea."
A longer ban of 180 days was imposed on BBC Pearl to inform any poor-performing operator that Australia finds these conditions to be unacceptable, added Mr Drake.
