The risk of being detected and detained by AMSA, and even banned from Australian ports, for serious breaches of international conventions, is a very real one with significant financial and reputational costs to operators.
These costs are real.
A recent detention example saw an operator pay $600,000 AUD in two months for port fees alone.
Pushing machinery to its limits without maintaining or replacing worn components before they fail, increases the risk of malfunction.
The price of conducting proper maintenance is far less than the potential cost of a disaster due to malfunctioning machinery, which might result in:
- injury to crew;
- loss of life;
- the expense of replacing damaged equipment;
- technician labour;
- dry docking;
- lawsuits over environmental damage; and more.
A vessel recently inspected by AMSA was found with a corroded fuel-oil tank air pipe, a part of the ship that should be weathertight.
The evidence suggests that the ship attempted to hide the seriousness of the defect from authorities by covering up the rusted pipe with canvas and painting over it.
Further information
- Read our media release Australia bans container ship MSC Kymea II for 90 days.
- Review our refusal of access list and letters of warning list.
