An APL container ship master will face trial in Australia for failing to ensure his vessel was operated so as not to cause pollution or environmental damage.
Mohd Zulkhaili Bin Alias was the master of the 5,510-teu APL England (built 2001) when it lost an estimated 50 containers off the coast of Sydney, eastern Australia, in May 2020.
The ship was heading from Melbourne to China when it hit heavy weather that led to the container stack collapse.
The charges against Alias have been brought by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
Alias is on bail at his home in Malaysia and attended committal hearings remotely, according to local reports.
An AMSA inspection following the incident found “inadequate lashing arrangements” for cargo and “heavily corroded securing points” for containers on the deck.
The authority said at the time that the findings were a clear breach of requirements under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
Efforts to locate missing containers involved a sonar search of about 1000 sq km of water from the Illawarra region, south of Sydney, to the city’s southern suburbs, where it is believed multiple boxes may have sunk.
The APL England’s protection and indemnity insurance is placed with Steamship Mutual, which posted AUD 22.5m ($15.9m) in security to secure its release.
Following the incident, the AMSA has launched an inspection campaign targeting cargo securing arrangements on container ships.
