Paris MOU – Maritime Accident Casebook

Paris/Tokyo Probe Fatigued Seafarers

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Jul 292014

Seafarer hours of rest come under the microscope from from 1 September 2014 and ending on 30 November 2014, says a joint statement by the Tokyo and Paris MOUs. A Joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign, CIC, will examine hours of rest records on some 10,000 vessels to see if they bide by STCW 78 as amended including the Manila amendments.

Deck and engine room watchkeepers’ hours of rest will be verified in more detail for compliance with the mentioned scope of the CIC during a regular Port State Control inspection conducted under the regional ship selection criteria within the Paris and Tokyo MoU regions. Continue reading »

Ship of Shame: Craig Trans

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Jul 102014

Paris MOU’s Caught in the Net is possibly the nearest thing to a maritime Stephen King story, tales of shipowners who should not be entrusted with a secondhand rubber duck let alone with responsibility for a ship and the lives of its crew. Such a one is Mr. Gerard Antoine of Vesta Shipping Lines which owned the Bolivian-flagged tug Craig Trans which arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 18 December 2012, with engine and generator problems, during a voyage from the Panama Canal to Montreal, Canada.

When Craig Trans arrived, the pilot noticed that the port anchor was missing. As the master wanted to anchor in Halifax harbour, the pilot asked how much chain was on the Starboard anchor. The Master told him that there was 40 metres of chain, which the pilot believed was not enough for the depth in the anchorage, as the weather forecast was for 50 Knots wind that night. The pilot arranged for a berth at Pier 26.

The crew of Craig Trans then went to the Mission to Seafarers and asked for food, as they had not eaten for three days. The Mission gave them food.
Continue reading »

Paris MOU Bans Three In Two Days

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Jul 252011

Three ships were banned from ParisMOU ports in just two days following multiple detentions.

On 15 July the Tanzanian-flagged M/V Ela, IMO8817813, was banned by Bulgaria. That same day M/V Orion-1, IMO7005683, flagged with Moldova was banned by Greece. On 16 July 2011 the M/V Navaga, IMO8817813, with St. Kitts and Nevis flag was banned by Italy. All three flags are on the Paris MoU “Black List”.

These bring the number of vessels banned from ParisMOU ports to 10 since the beginning of 2011 compared to three in 2010 and seven throughout the whole of 2009.

Constantza Won’t Have Paris For 3 Months

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Mar 082011

Contantza - 94 deficiencies in one year

Comoros-flagged general cargo ship Constanza has been banned from Paris MOU ports for at lest three months due to multiple detentions. The 1970-built 1939 gross tonnes vessel is owned by Trans Ocean Navigation, based in Turkey.

In 2010 the vessel was detained three times in the Bulgaria port of Varna for a total of 11 days. Throughout the year 94 deficiencies were noted.

ParisMOU Bans First Ship Under NIR

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Jan 202011

Saint Kitts and Nevis flagged general cargo ship Ares II has become the first vessel to be banned under the ParisMOU’s new inspection regime. She has been banned from the region for 3 months for multiple detentions.

The 1977-built 2,850 dwt vessel is owned by Vera Shipping, operated by Tekso Denicilik of Istambul which is also the ISM manager.

Statutory certificates were issued by International Register of Shipping in November 2010.

Banning list parismou.org

Tankers Get The Paris Touch

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Aug 022010

The Paris Memorandum on Port State Control starts a concentrated inspection campaign, CIC, to verify correct damage stability on oil tankers, chemical tankers and gas carriers from 1 September to 30 November 2010.

Says the ParisMOU: “The reasons for this CIC include that inspections showed tankers frequently sailing when not complying with damage stability requirements or had no means of assessing damage stability or were sailing in a loading condition not covered by the approved stability book.

Ships Of Shame: The “Uninhabitable” Gorgonilla

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Jul 122010

When a cold, tired, exhausted crew plead for its ship to be inspected then you can be shore it’s an unhappy ship. In the case of the Panama-registered tanker Gorgonilla. commercially operated by Uni-Chartering, it was more than unhappy, it was uninhabitable says the ParisMOU’s Caught in the Net campaign.

On 27 January 2010 the ship’s main engine failed some three miles off Europa Point, Gibraltar. she spent several hours not under control until the engine were restarted.

A dozen days later, she’s on passage from Gibraltar to Kalunborg by way of the Kiel Canal. The outside temperature was –9 degrees Celsius. Inside the accommodation the temperature falls to 0 degrees Celsius because the ship has no heating. The sanitary water has already frozen in the pipes.

Lifeboats: Trashy Training Troubles Tokyo/Paris MoUs

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Jan 092010

Source: Paris MoU

Nearly a third of ships detained by Paris and Tokyo MoU members from September to November in last year’s concentrated inspection campaign, CIC, on lifeboat launching arrangements had deficiencies dangerous to seafarers aboard them. In a preliminary report, the Paris MOU says that one out of eight lifeboat drills were not carried out satisfactorily.

The findings highlight the poor performance and lack of commonsense and a refusal to substantively address safety issues by lifeboat makers, on-load hook release manufacturers and the industry generally. The Paris MoU has expressed concern about poor boat drills which it says: “is often caused by lack of training… Of the procedures or instructions and identification of hazards associated with launching and recovery of lifeboats one out of 6 was found unsatisfactory. These are related to the safety

management system on board the ship.”

Apart from a lack of concern for seafarers lives on the part of the owners and managers

Good News: Lifeboats Get A Gaze In September

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Jun 262009

Not the best way to save lives

Those worried about lifeboat safety can draw some comfort that from September to November lifeboats will be subject to a concentrated inspection campaign, CIC, in a joint operation between the Paris and Tokyo MOUs. The aim is to ensure compliance with SOLAS Chapter III.

In practice the concentrated inspection campaign means that during every port state control inspection within the Paris and Tokyo MoU regions, lifeboat launching arrangements, maintenance records and other applicable documentation will be verified for compliance with SOLAS Chapter III.