AMSA Bars Repeat Offender

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued a direction to Indonesian flagged container ship Territory Trader not to enter or use any port in Australia for three months as a result of repeated detentions and a history of machinery and equipment malfunctions and breakdowns. Territory Trader has been detained by AMSA on three occasions since July 2013, prompting serious concerns the vessel is not being operated or managed to meet applicable standards. AMSA Chief Executive Officer Mick Kinley said the vessel is a regular caller into the port of Cairns, with 12 port visits this year. This vessel has a poor history of complying with international safety conventions in Australia and is known to transit the environmentally sensitive and highly protected Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait area, Kinley said. For these reasons the vessel was considered high risk and a non-scheduled port state control inspection was undertaken. The direction was made under the Navigation Act 2012 and expires on February 18, 2015. The vessel is required to rectify deficiencies identified during the inspection before departing Cairns. This is the second vessel banned from Australian ports since the revised Navigation Act came into effect last year. Press Release: Image: Chris Howell/Shipspotting