Two Sinokor Merchant Marine VLCCs have been detained in Europe in a little over a month after failing port state control inspections.
The ships are the Marshall Islands-flagged 316,400-dwt Gulf Loyalty (built 2011) and 314,000-dwt North Loyalty (built 2012), according to data from the Paris MoU.
The Gulf Loyalty was detained at the port of Fawley in southern England on 1 April after inspectors uncovered 15 deficiencies, of which seven were deemed sufficient to hold the ship.
The ISM system was found to be “not as required” and the crew had a “lack of training” in fire safety. There were also issues with the structural condition of the vessel.
Several certificates and documentation were missing, including those related to civil liability for oil pollution and bunker oil pollution damage.
The Gulf Loyalty was allowed to proceed to an agreed repair yard and left for Falmouth in southwest England on 6 April.
Crude tanker detentions in the UK are rare: only eight ships have been detained over the past two years, according to the Paris MOU.
The North Loyalty was detained in Mongstad, southwest Norway in early March and held for 10 days.
Inspectors found 12 deficiencies, four of which warranted the detention, including issues with the ISM system, fire doors, watertight doors and corrosion on some deck areas.
The tanker, which was on charter to Equinor at the time, was released on 15 March and allowed to proceed to an agreed repair yard.
TradeWinds reported last month that Sinokor was the largest individual spender in the sale-and-purchase market among Asian shipowners in the first quarter, splashing out $445m on eight VLCCs, according to figures compiled by Veson Nautical.
All eight were acquired from either John Fredriksen’s Frontline or Euronav, including the latter’s 308,300-dwt Nectar and Noble (both built 2008) and Newton (built 2009).
Sinokor was also the second-largest seller of ships by value during the quarter, disposing of three vessels for $213m.
TradeWinds has asked Sinokor for comment.
