Foreign flagged vessels continue to face detention in UK ports due to safety failures

by Featured NewsPorts & Maritime

Detention of foreign ships in UK highlights ongoing safety concerns

In March 2024, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) reported the detention of foreign flagged ships in UK ports for failing to meet the safety standards required by the Paris MOU Port State Control.

A total of three new detentions were recorded during the month, with two vessels still under detention as the month concluded.

This ongoing issue highlights critical safety lapses that could potentially jeopardize maritime operations and crew welfare.

Details from the latest detention report

According to the MCA, significant deficiencies were found in emergency power sources and fire safety systems on these vessels.

For instance, the SUDE-S, flagged by Malta, was detained due to inoperative emergency generators and inadequate fire extinguishing installations, leading to its release after three days following corrections.

Another vessel, EEMS SERVANT from the Netherlands, showcased more extensive issues with 22 deficiencies including ineffective crew performance evaluations and poor emergency system familiarity, taking approximately two weeks for release post-detention.

Patterns of non-compliance and enforcement

The detention list includes various ships such as the TRUFFALDINO, flagged by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the GUNDEM AZRA from Panama, both demonstrating non-compliance in multiple safety aspects.

Notably, issues ranged from inoperative fire detection systems to outdated navigational charts and life-saving appliances, reflecting a broader problem of adherence to international maritime safety norms.

MCA’s role and the impact of these detentions

Enforcement by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency

As part of its commitment to enhancing maritime safety, the MCA conducts rigorous inspections to ensure that vessels comply with international standards.

These measures are crucial for preventing potential accidents and environmental hazards, thus maintaining the integrity of marine operations within UK waters.

International cooperation and database utility

The MCA utilises the THETIS database, which centralises information on ships inspected under the Paris MOU.

This system helps in identifying high-risk vessels and prioritising them for inspections, thereby efficiently managing resources to address the most significant threats to maritime safety.

IFSJ Comment

The continued detention of vessels for failing safety inspections underlines the critical need for stringent enforcement of maritime laws.

The MCA’s efforts are essential in ensuring that such deficiencies are addressed promptly to prevent accidents and protect marine environments.

Moreover, the detailed reporting and transparency in handling these detentions reflect the UK’s commitment to upholding high safety standards, serving as a model for maritime authorities worldwide.

Survitec introduces pre-inspection dry dock safety service

by Featured NewsPorts & Maritime

Survival Technology solutions provider Survitec has introduced a new, formalised pre-inspection solution as part of its dry dock safety service to help ship owners and managers optimise and expedite dry docking schedules.

As part of Survitec’s fully managed, “safety-first” dry docking solution, the pre-inspection service is designed to support the servicing and inspection of all onboard safety and lifesaving equipment.

Full certification

A qualified service technician boards the ship during normal port operations to assess and verify the scope of work, with the added benefit of helping to ensure dry dockings do not overrun and ships leave on time, fully certified and within budget.

“It smooths the entire dry docking process,” commented Survitec Technical Sales Manager, Jan-Oskar Lid. “Advance planning pays dividends in terms of efficiency and transparency for owners and operators to plan and budget accordingly with a full scope of work planned and ready before the vessel enters dry dock. 

“A pre-inspection does not have to take place in the same yard or location where the dry dock will take place. This is the advantage of our global service station network.”

Regulatory requirements

As part of the service, Survitec teams review and set out a schedule of works in line with regulatory requirements. This includes collating and reviewing the necessary safety certificates and documentation and liaising with the shipyard and suppliers to expedite parts, procurement and equipment servicing.

An additional benefit is that it can also reduce the risk of any unexpected work cropping up during dry docking that could lead to unplanned delays, additional cost and lost revenue.

Operational delays

“The value of a pre-inspection call or visit has been demonstrated time and again over our many years’ experience of safety servicing,” explained Lid.

“Our trained technicians can identify issues that the ship owner or manager may not have yet recognised or may have been misdiagnosed. For example, one customer ordered a gas top-up for a CO2 low pressure system. During a preparatory call, we were able to identify an underlying issue with the tank and arrange the necessary repairs. If this issue had not been identified until the time of service, the vessel could have been left off hire for longer, causing costly delays to their operating schedule.”

Flexibility is a key benefit of the Survitec dry dock safety service. Referring to one project where LNG vessels were initially scheduled to dry dock in Qatar, Lid said: “At the last minute, the customer notified us that two of the vessels would be shifted to Singapore. This was not a problem for us as we have the network and resources to accommodate the change of plan.”

Standardised procedure

As Finn Lende-Harung, Commercial Director – Fire, explained: “With 100+ years’ experience as an OEM, we are fully conversant with IMO, Flag, Class and brand requirements for the different equipment and service intervals. We also have a global servicing network and the reach to service at all the major dry dock locations worldwide, in line with a vessel’s operational profile.”

“All our technicians follow standardised procedures to ensure the level of service, quality and professionalism are the same irrespective of location. From the customer’s point of view, they are dealing with a single solution provider, one trusted supplier that solves all the issues.”

“Dry dockings are highly complex projects,” added Lende-Harung. “There can never be any cast-iron guarantees that everything will go completely to plan, but our service affords ship owners and managers confidence of compliance, cost transparency and greater certainty that vessels will complete on schedule and with a clean certificate without any unnecessary down-time or drain on resources.”