Ship owners in hot water over after safety breaches (From Dorset Echo)
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Safety breaches on Spanish owned ship at Portland Port
2:04pm Wednesday 13th March 2013 in News
SHIP: The Terry Siete at Portland
A COMPANY whose ship was moored at Portland Port has been fined £5,000 for breaching international safety laws.
The owners of the Terry Siete, PM Shipping International SA of Santander, Spain pleaded guilty to a breach of the Merchant Shipping International Safety Management (ISM) Regulations 1998 for failing to comply with objectives of the ISM Code.
The company was fined £5,000 plus costs of £6,652.50 at Southampton Magistrates Court. It came after a port state control inspector from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) boarded the Panama registered vessel at Portland in June of last year.
During his inspection the inspector noted that access was being made into the vessel’s ballast tanks without proper procedures being in place.
The master was issued with a prohibition notice requiring entries be made in the correct manner in accordance with the code of safe working practices. He returned on August 20.
On checking various documents, reports and permits, he found that entries had been made into the ballast tanks of the Terry Siete without a valid gas free certificate being in place.
Further investigation confirmed that the designated person ashore (DPA) had been present onboard when these entries had been taking place.
At a previous hearing, the DPA, Luis Monton, had pleaded guilty to a breach of the Merchant Shipping ISM Code Regulations for failing to ensure proper procedures were in place.
He was fined £1,000 plus costs of £500.
Richard Pellew, the MCA's area operations manager for survey and inspection for South-East England, said after the hearing: “Entry into confined spaces without correct procedures placed both crew and shore contractors at risk.
“The company had received a warning that its procedures were lacking but failed to correct matters.
“The DPA failed in his duty to ensure that correct procedures were in place and then oversaw improper entries into the ships ballast tanks.
"This prosecution should be a reminder to all owners and operators to have correct procedures in place for entries into enclosed spaces.”
