Trojan Maritime bulk carrier banned from Australian ports

The Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier MV Rena won’t be allowed to re-enter any Australian port until the first quarter of 2018, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.    A bulk carrier vessel owned and operated by Greece-based Trojan Maritime has been banned from Australian ports for six months after the ship repeatedly failed to pay outstanding wages and maintain a safe workplace for its crew, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
   Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier MV Rena will not be allowed to re-enter any Australian port until the first quarter of 2018, according to the authority, which opened a case on June 30, when it received a complaint from the International Transport Workers Federation alleging the crew had not been paid their total wages for several months.
   The safety authority then conducted an inspection when the ship arrived at Hay Point in Queensland on July 6 and found that the vessel had several serious deficiencies, including failure of the emergency generator to start, failure of the life boat starting arrangements, and shortcomings in the safety management system.
   The AMSA also cited the vessel for failure to pay crew the cash component of their wages which totaled about $53,000.
   “The emergency generator, lifeboat and safety management system deficiencies presented a clear risk to the health and safety of the crew, the ship and Australia’s marine environment,” the authority explained in a statement, while also saying that failure to pay the vessel’s crew their total wages is a “clear and unacceptable” breach of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006.
   The AMSA decided the deficiencies were serious enough to warrant immediate detention of the ship at Hay Point, where it remained for 29 days until AMSA and the Bahamas Maritime Authority received evidence on Aug. 3 that the crew members had been paid their outstanding wages.
   The MV Rena – not to be confused with the Greek-owned container vessel of the same name that ran aground and created an oil spill in New Zealand in 2011 – was also detained by AMSA at Port Adelaide in February for a number of serious deficiencies, including the crew working excess hours.
   “The failure of the ship operator to ensure that the ship is effectively managed along with the repeated failures of the ISM Code and Maritime Labour Convention, is a clear indication the ship is not being operated to meet applicable minimum standards,” AMSA General Manger of Operations Allan Schwartz said. “The length of time taken to rectify the outstanding issues, particularly in relation to crew welfare, is completely unacceptable.”
   The ban of the MV Rena expires Feb. 3, 2018, but the vessel faces a 12-month ban if it is again detained by the AMSA.
   Records show that the Rena, an 81,700-deadweight ton vessel built in 2010, was also detained at the Port of Tacoma in 2015 for having substandard fire safety equipment.
   As of Aug. 4, Athens-based Trojan Maritime has not responded to requests for comment or issued a statement regarding the Rena’s banishment from Australian ports.