The 738-foot bulk carrier Kind Seas was detained on Friday by the U.S. Coast Guard, during an inspection in Kalama, Washington. According to inspectors of the Portland`s Coast Guard Marine Safety unit, on board of the Marshall Islands-registered vessel were found major safety violations.
Coast Guard inspectors found a complete failure of the emergency generator that provides power to the emergency firefighting pump system and other emergency equipment in case of danger on board. Another discrepancies such as deficient structural fire boundary doors, which prevent fire spreading; inoperable bilge pumps, that are critical to taking out excess water and waste oil accumulation in the different engine compartments and life saving communication equipment out of order, were found as well.
Capt. Patrick Ropp, the commanding officer and officer in charge of Portland Marine inspection said:
“Shipboard fires pose severe risk to vessel crews, the vessel, and the port.”
He added in his statement that the discrepancies found on board definitely make the vessel unfit to sail at sea as they posed serious risk to the ship’s crew and the marine environment.
After the vessel inspection, in order to be fit to sail safe at sea, Coast Guard officers are working in cooperation with the vessel’s crew, the managing company, the owner, along with the Kind Seas’ flag state and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, which is responsible for the certificating of the vessel construction and engineering.
The Fairplay Maritime-owned Kind Seas, built in 1998, will continue its way from Kalama to Japan, loaded with corn and wheat, after the safety violations have been fixed.