15 - 21 June 2000

Dutch list 90 deficiencies on Maltese 'rustbucket of the month'

by Franco Aloisio

A Maltese-registered tanker was labelled the "rustbucket of the month" by the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, Lloyds List reported. The ship was described as one of the worst ever in terms of safety standards.

The list of deficiencies found on Malta-flagged Nunki reads like a recipe for impending disaster, and comes at a time when the Maltese Parliament is discussing amendments to the Maritime Act. The Maltese flag is often seen as a flag of convenience, and the Malta flag has been in the headlines in this last year following the sinking of the Erika.

A routine port state control inspection carried out on the 1976-built Nunki in Amsterdam last month revealed over 90 deficiencies related to safety, manning, marine pollution and general working and living conditions aboard the vessel.

Among the problems that led to the vessel's detention by the Dutch Shipping Inspectorate was evidence of severe corrosion throughout the vessel, including some holes which had been camouflaged with paint and tarpaulin.

Other deficiencies included an expired safety equipment certificate, substandard electrical wiring of navigation lights, problems with emergency lighting, corroded inert gas pipelines, outdated charts and damaged or broken windows.

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Port State Control consists of 18 participating maritime administrations and covers the waters of the European coastal States and the North Atlantic basin from North America to Europe.

The Paris MOU aims at eliminating the operation of sub-standard ships through a harmonized system of port State control. Annually over 16,000 inspections take place on board foreign ships in the Paris MOU ports, ensuring that these ships meet international safety and environmental standards, and that crew members have adequate living and working conditions.

With regards to the Malta-flagged Nunki, the Paris MOU said even the chief officer's certificate of competency had expired four months before he joined the vessel.

A spokesman for the Dutch Shipping Inspectorate said the ship was one of the worst it had seen in recent years. At the time of the detention the vessel was classed by RINA, though a subsequent inspection by the Italian classification society revealed a long list of serious structural deficiencies and resulted in suspension of the class.

Nevertheless, the case bears remarkable similarities to the ill-fated Erika, for which the Italian class society has come under fire in recent months. The future of the 30,605 gt oil tanker, which is managed by Malta-based Andron Shipping, is unclear, with suggestions yesterday that there may be financial issues to resolve as well as safety concerns.

According to the Paris MOU, the owner, flag state and classification society are considering towing the vessel under strict conditions either to a repair yard, or to a scrap yard. The spokesman for the Dutch Shipping Inspectorate said there had been talk of towing the ship to Klaipeda in Lithuania, on the Baltic Sea, but that it was unclear whether this plan would go ahead. What is clear is that the Dutch authorities will not allow the vessel to sail until they are satisfied about her future.