Livorno Coast Guard has issued a “detention” order against the Bakan, a Malta-flagged cargo ship.
The vessel, transporting grain, had arrived at Livorno’s Grandi Molini Italiani terminal on Sept. 13th from the Spanish port of Ceuta.
“The measure was adopted at the end of a lengthy, thorough inspection aimed at verifying that the ship and its crew fully complied with the requirements of the applicable international navigational safety conventions. Moreover, particular attention was also given to living and working conditions on board, in light of the campaign called for by the Paris Memorandum of Understanding – of which Italy is a founding member – for September 2024,” reads the press release issued by the Coast Guard.
The audit, which also included conducting fire and abandon ship drills, revealed the vessel was “sub-standard.” 28 irregularities were found – 13 of which were very serious. As a result, PSC inspectors declared the vessel was unfit for sailing.
In particular, PSC inspectors discovered serious irregularities in living and working conditions on board, structural flaws, fire prevention & firefighting equipment, and safety management.
In addition, one seafarer had been continuously employed on board for over 12 months, and another had an expired employment contract, in clear violation of the requirements of the 2006 Maritime Labor Convention.
The vessel is currently being detained in port, until minimum standards are satisfied to allow it to set sail again. Only upon successful rectification of all irregularities on board and subsequent verification of the ship’s flag, can the vessel be subjected to a second PSC audit for its “release” and clearance to depart.
The MN BAKAN is the fourth ship stopped during the year by the Livorno Harbour Authority’s PSC Unit, led by Rear Admiral Gaetano ANGORA, to combat the “sub-standard ships” phenomenon and to safeguard the safety of shipping, crews and the marine environment. It has already conducted 68 inspections of foreign ships calling at Livorno port since the beginning of the year.
Translation by Giles Foster
