Australia has banned a livestock carrier from entering its waters for two-years in what has been described as one of the most severe such bans.
The 3,300-dwt Barkly Pearl (built 1993) was initially spotted in early November travelling through Australia’s northern waters with a large hole in its hull.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) issued an intervention direction instructing the vessel to the nearest safe harbour at Geraldton due to concerns over the structural integrity of the vessel and the potential threat of pollution.
“This is a significant decision by AMSA,” Allan Schwartz, AMSA’s general manager of operations, said.
Longest ban
“It’s the first time a vessel has been banned from Australian ports for this length of time and it will certainly affect the vessel’s commercial operations.”
Schwartz said the Australian community expects that any vessel operating or travelling through our waters is seaworthy.
“Consequently, when vessels are found to be so poorly maintained, AMSA will not hesitate to use the suite of powers available to it,” he said.
“The owners and operators of the Barkly Pearl were negligent in their maintenance of the vessel, put the lives of the seafarers on board at risk and posed an immediate threat to Australia’s marine environment.”
For the past two months, AMSA said ship inspectors worked with the vessel owners and operators to develop an appropriate repair solution.
On Thursday, the Barkly Pearl was loaded onto OHT’s semi-submersible heavylift ship Falcon for departure from Australian waters to an undisclosed location.
However, unconfirmed media reports in Australia said the vessel was due to head to Surabaya in Indonesia for repairs.
Owner Drako Shipping of Singapore could not immediately be reached to confirm its plans for the vessel.
Australia banned a number of bulkers from its waters last year due to infringements of the Maritime Labour Convention, such as underpaying crew.
