THE CHIEF officer and owner of the bulker Irongate were convicted and fined for dumping the equivalent of a 120-litre household garbage bin full of food waste into the Great Barrier Reef National Park.

The decision was handed down at the Brisbane Magistrates Court last week, following a prosecution by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

In 2018, the Liberian-flagged Iron Gate was on a voyage between Brisbane and Gladstone when the chief officer approved the discharge of garbage overboard about 24 kilometres (13 nautical miles) south-east of Lady Elliot Island – well within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Australian waters.

Under the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983, food waste cannot be discharged within 22 kilometres (12 nautical miles) seaward of the boundary of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

AMSA general manager operations Allan Schwartz said it was important to help protect Australia’s precious marine environment from the impacts of shipping.

“Australians and tourists alike visit Lady Elliot Island to swim with mantra rays and turtles – not blended food waste from merchant ships,” Mr Schwartz said.

“We take a zero-tolerance approach to pollution from shipping and that is why, after detecting this breach during a routine inspection of Iron Gate in 2018, we detained the ship and later charged the chief officer and company, Kairasu Shipping S.A.”

The vessel was detained for two days in Newcastle in late August 2018.

In the documentation relating to Irongate’s detention, AMSA says the ship’s safety management system did not ensure that crew are familiar with critical shipboard operations related to the protection of the environment.

“The garbage record book indicates that garbage has been discharged into the sea in a prohibited area in contradiction with MARPOL, Annex V and Australian waters requirements,” AMSA said.

Mr Schwartz said fines imposed last week for both the chief officer and the owner totalled around $6600.

“However, it’s the conviction which goes to their reputations and records that have the longest-lasting impact,” he said.

“Dumping garbage into the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef isn’t something you want on your professional record. These convictions should serve as a reminder to other industry operators that in Australia, we make sure polluters pay.”

Irongate (IMO 9727364) was built in 2015 and it has a capacity of 28316 DWT. Its length overall is 169.37 metres, and it is 27.2 metres wide.