THE AUSTRALIAN Maritime Safety Authority has released two container ships from long-lasting detention but a third remains unable to sail.
The 1,740 TEU Hansa Homburg, at the time on charter for ANL’s TranzTas service, was detained by AMSA at Port Botany on 26 October after being found to be unseaworthy, although the authority has not defined the exact problem.
On 30 October the vessel was moved from Port Botany to White Bay for “safety rectification works”, which upon completion saw the vessel released from detention. It departed Sunday [7 December] for Melbourne, where it is currently loading empty containers for Nansha.
ANL had already secured a TranzTas replacement for Hansa Homburg, which was built in 2009 is managed by Germany’s Leonhardt & Blumberg and flies the Liberian flag. The 1,809 TEU Androklisis on its way on an extra-loader voyage from Shanghai and is expected to join TranzTas in Melbourne around 19 December.
The Wallaby service vessel MSC Maritina V (5,057 TEU) which reported a main engine alarm as it was inbound to Melbourne from Tauranga on 24 November and was subsequently towed to the Melbourne outer anchorage and detained by AMSA “until satisfied it is fully seaworthy to resume its voyage” was released on 5 December, following a successful sea-trial and inspection by the authority.
It moved to Webb Dock on 9 December to work and departed early this morning [11 December] to undertake a single voyage direct to a repair port.
However, the 1,102 TEU Scion Mafalda remains under repair and detention at Port Botany. The ship arrived on 22 November in the course of an extra-loader repositioning voyage from Singapore, during a transfer from ANL’s northern Australia-focused PAX 1 loop to the ANL-Sofrana WestPac service.
The ship was detained “due to a failure of the safety management system to effectively maintain the ship and equipment” and ANL/CMA CGM has been repeatedly obliged to delay discharge of the remaining southbound cargo for Sydney, and Brisbane, where the ship was originally due to join WestPac on 26 November.
The Liberia-flag Scion Mafalda, built in 2015, is listed by Equasis as owned by Nordic Ems GmbH & Co and managed by Nordic Hamburg Shipmanagement, both of Hamburg.
AMSA says repairs are now expected to complete on 12 December.
“AMSA reiterates its strong position on the importance of the safety of vessels and crew,” a spokesperson said.