No room for complacency

No room for complacency

During a three-month campaign member states of the Paris MOU detained eight out of 79 bulk carriers, above 30,000gt and over 15 years old, for structural deficiencies. While this compares favourably with an average detention rate 13.9 per cent for 1998, Alan Cubbin, chairman of the Paris MOU port state control committee, says the level of deficiencies means there is no room for complacency.

One worrying aspect was that all the detained vessels had been surveyed by class societies that are members of IACS. Defects included holes in decks and hatch covers, badly wasted and cracked longitudinals and transverse stiffeners in holds and tanks.

While welcoming the detection of any bulker with structural deficiencies, Inetrcargo point out that its figures show that the majority of problems are with vessels below 35,000 dwt and over 24 years old. Although the campaign had ended, bulkers over 12 years old will continue to be targeted for inspection.