Bulk Carrier Busted Over Significant Safety and Environmental Violations

The U.S. Coast Guard has detained the Panama-flagged bulk service Ikan Sudip after an inspection in Astoria, Oregon revealed important environmental and security violations.

Vessel inspectors from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit (MSU) in Portland found the discrepancies throughout an inspection of the 600-foot vessel, which was inbuilt 2004.

“The Ikan Sudip’s safety and environmental conditions posed an unacceptable threat to our waterways,” mentioned Capt. Dan Travers, Coast Guard Sector Columbia River Commanding Officer and captain of the port for Oregon and Southern Washington. “We are focused on ensuring that all issues are corrected by fixing the discrepancies and removing the risks found on board the vessel.”

According to the Coast Guard, the vessel skilled two separate fuel-related propulsion losses inside 24 hours whereas inbound to U.S. water final Monday, which in each instances rendered the vessel utterly disabled. After regaining minimal propulsion with short-term repairs, the captain of the port expelled the vessel from U.S. waters and prohibited its re-entry till the primary engine’s gasoline system was correctly repaired.

Vessel crewmembers and propulsion equipment technicians corrected the gasoline system points on Saturday, and the vessel was allowed to enter the Columbia River whereas beneath escort by the towing vessel Somer S.

Inspectors from the MSU boarded the vessel whereas anchored in Astoria and carried out a security and safety inspection the place they recognized a number of gear discrepancies and environmental violations.

The violations included a failure to make use of engineering procedures required by U.S. and worldwide regulation, which information the vessel’s crew via gasoline administration and vessel propulsion necessities. Other discrepancies have been a scarcity of crew familiarity with emergency rescue drills, poor structural hearth boundary doorways designed to forestall the unfold of a fireplace and inoperable lifesaving gear. Additionally, extreme corrosion was discovered all through the vessel’s equipment piping programs posing a major risk to the vessel and crew.

Coast Guard vessel inspectors are working with the Ikan Sudip’s flag state, classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), the proprietor Grace Hawk Shipping S.A., vessel supervisor EikoKisen Co. Ltd., and the vessel’s crew to make the important repairs. The ship is operated by Pacific Carriers, Ltd.

“Eliminating substandard vessels from U.S. waters is critical to ensuring our waterways are protected,” mentioned Travers. “Only after the vessel crew corrects its deficient safety management system and critical vessel equipment will we allow it to return to commercial service.”

MV Ikan Sudip is scheduled to load potash in Portland and can depart for Brazil after the security violations have been corrected.