The UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced yesterday that nine foreign flagged ships were under detention in UK ports during October 2016 after failing Port State Control (PSC) inspection.
During October, there were five new detention of foreign flagged vessels in a UK port. Four vessels remained under detention from previous months. A total of four vessels remain under detention at the end of October.
Bulk Carrier Sam Falcon - Image courtesy: Marcel Coster
- In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson’s inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping, and in compliance with the EU Directive on Port State Control (2009/16/EC as amended), the Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) publishes details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month.
- The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as THETIS. This allows the ships with a high risk rating and poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection.
- Inspections of foreign flagged ships in UK ports are undertaken by surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. When a ship is found to be not in compliance with applicable convention requirements, a deficiency may be raised. If any of their deficiencies are so serious they have to be rectified before departure, then the ship will be detained.
- All deficiencies should be rectified before departure if at all possible.
- When applicable, the list includes those passenger craft prevented from operating under the provisions of the EU Directive on Mandatory Surveys for the safe operation of regular Ro-Ro ferry and high speed passenger craft services (1999/35/EU).
Container ship CHRISTOPHER - Image courtesy: Tom Duncan
Notes on the list of detentions
- Full details of the ship. The accompanying detention list shows ship’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) number which is unchanging throughout the ship’s life and uniquely identifies it. It also shows the ship’s name and flag state at the time of its inspection.
- Company. The company shown in the vessel’s Safety Management Certificate (SMC) or if there is no SMC, then the party otherwise believed to be responsible for the safety of the ship at the time of inspection.
- Classification Society. The list shows the Classification Society responsible for classing the ship only.
- Recognised Organisation. Responsible for conducting the statutory surveys: and issuing statutory certificates on behalf of the Flag State
- White (WL), Grey (GL) and Black lists (BL) are issued by the Paris MoU on 01 July each year and shows the performance of flag State.
General cargo ship Svetlana - Image courtesy: John Clarke
Ships detained in October 2016 include:
Date and Place of Detention: 26th October 2016 at Southampton
Summary: Twenty one deficiencies with two grounds for detention
This vessel was released on 29th October 2016
Date and Place of Detention: 19th October 2016 at Liverpool
Summary: Eleven deficiencies with four grounds for detention
This vessel was released from detention on 26th October 2016
Date and Place of Detention: 12th October 2016 at Cardiff
Summary: Twenty deficiencies with nine grounds for detention
This vessel was released on 31st October 2016
Date and Place of Detention: 5th October 2016 at Wisbech
Summary: Twelve deficiencies with eight grounds for detention
This vessel was released on 13th October 2016
Date and Place of Detention: 5th October 2016 at Aberdeen
Summary: Five deficiencies with five grounds for detention
This vessel was still detained on 31st October 2016
Source: Gov.uk