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Australia to inspect container ships
Aug 26, 2020|
View:469It is reported that the Australian Maritime Safety Agency (AMSA) plans to carry out inspection on cargo accidents of container ships going to Australian ports. The inspection is due to a number of recent incidents of containers falling into the water on board. The purpose of the inspection is to improve the standard of cargo securing and reduce the number of incidents in which cargo is lost at sea.
Michael Drake, acting general manager of AMSA, said: "we have clearly seen the serious consequences of improper cargo securing, with a lot of plastic and other debris washed onto the beach or floating in the ocean." "Improper lashing and over weight limits are the causes of these incidents, and ship operators should be aware that Australia will not tolerate these violations."
This key inspection operation will be conducted between August and October 2020, involving the extension of port state supervision and inspection (PSC) or separate inspection of ships that currently do not meet the PSC inspection conditions. According to AMSA, the master and the shipping company should be prepared that if there is a cargo ship visiting Australia during the inspection, the ship will be subject to relevant inspection.
As part of these efforts, the Australian authorities will also seek to ensure that these vessels fully comply with the international standards for cargo securing set out in Chapter VI of SOLAS. AMSA said that when non-compliance is found, relevant measures will be taken to promote compliance before continuing operations.
AMSA said it decided to launch the inspection program because of recent container overboard incidents involving several vessels in Australian waters. The falling into the water has affected the livelihood and safety of commercial fishermen and the whole Australian region. According to reports, AMSA investigators found that improper stacking and fixing of goods and poor maintenance of fixed equipment may be the main factors causing these incidents.
In May this year, the APL England dropped 50 containers at sea, and it is reported that fragments of containers still washed up on Australian beaches. A month later, the container ship navios unite lost three containers about 33 km southwest of Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia. In 2018, the YM efficiency lost 81 containers about 15 nautical miles off Newcastle, Australia.
In each incident, AMSA is actively responding to ensure that the shipping company can take responsibility and complete the remedial work. At the same time, AMSA also seeks economic compensation from shipping companies and their insurance companies.
At the same time, the world shipping Council (WSC) reports that container overboard incidents are on a downward trend, accounting for only a small part of the total annual maritime container traffic. According to the survey results of the world shipping Council (WSC), less than one third of the containers transported each year fall into the water, and the average value over the past three years has also shown a downward trend.
However, like AMSA, WSC considers it necessary to continue to enforce and strengthen safety regulations for container transportation. WSC is expected to make efforts to further revise and optimize the 2014 code of practice for cargo transport packaging, as well as the revision and optimization of container lashing equipment standards in the future.
WSC also made some suggestions to IMO, such as uniform container stacking requirements, to eliminate differences that may have a significant impact on safety. At the same time, it is suggested to participate in the revision of IMO's guidelines on inspection plan for cargo transport units including containers.
