8 June 2023 (Lloyd's List) - THE Australian Maritime Safety Authority has banned a second vessel from Australian waters within a week, slapping a 90-day ban on Antigua Barbuda-flagged general cargoship BBC Weser for being in an unsafe and unseaworthy condition and an unacceptable risk to Australia’s marine and coastal environments.

AMSA imposed a 90-day ban on the Taiwanese vessel Babuza Wisdom, earlier this month for a number of significant deficiencies.

The agency detained the 2006-built, 17,290 dwt general cargo ship BBC Weser in Newcastle in early May, after inspectors found a significant number of ballast air vents on board were defective.

Functional ballast air vents are critical safety components that prevent water entering a ship, while allowing air to escape, preventing a dangerous vacuum from developing inside a tank.

The ship’s German operator, Briese Heavylift, has a history of poor performance, with one in five of its ships having been detained in Australia since May 2021. This rate is more than three times the average for ships visiting Australian waters, AMSA noted.

AMSA had twice contacted Briese Heavylift to warn it about its poor performance and the potential consequences of further detentions, or more serious compliance and enforcement action.

Previous detentions were due to defective emergency generators and unsafe work platforms, which AMSA said led to a crew members being critically injured while working on one of their ships.

AMSA executive director of operations Michael Drake said the banning sent a clear message to the operator, and the wider shipping industry, that sub-standard ships will not be tolerated in Australian waters.

“BBC Weser poses a significant risk to the safety of the seafarers on board, and Australia’s precious marine and coastal environments,” Drake said.

“The defects on BBC Weser are especially concerning, as they are detainable deficiencies that would have been obvious to anyone on board, and that the operator could not have pleaded ignorance to.”