Formerly fouled ship allowed to return

The DL Marigold in Dunedin.

The bulk carrier DL Marigold, which was ordered out of the Port of Tauranga on March 6 because of too much weed on its hull, has returned to complete its discharge of a cargo of palm kernel.

After being ordered to put to sea the DL Marigold steamed towards Fiji where the hull was cleaned by divers. The ship returned to Tauranga yesterday, says a Ministry of Primary Industries statement.

"We checked photos taken after the cleaning operation,” says MPI's border clearance services capability manager, Sharon Tohovaka.

'These were provided to MPI prior to the vessel's arrival. We are now satisfied the ship is very clean and meets New Zealand's biosecurity requirements.

"The move to ban the vessel until it could be cleaned shows New Zealand's strict biosecurity system in action. MPI won't hesitate to take a hard line on vessels with severe biofouling in the lead-up to the introduction of new biosecurity rules in May 2018.

"The new rules will require all international vessels to arrive in New Zealand with a clean hull. Most vessels can achieve this by following International Maritime Organisation biofouling guidelines."

On March 6, the DL Marigold was found a dense fouling of barnacles and tube worms on the hull and other underwater surfaces.

The DL Marigold is expected to put to sea at 6.30pm Thursday.

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