Repairs ordered for banned ship

Deficiencies discovered during a safety inspection of banned ship Vega Auriga at the Port of Tauranga must be rectified before the ship is permitted to sail, says Maritime New Zealand today.

The containership banned from entering Australian Ports was inspected following its arrival in port about 11.30am on Sunday.

Vega Auriga in Tauranga.

MNZ spokesperson Sarah Brazil says a five hour inspection found 14 faults with the ship, 11 of which must be rectified before it can leave port.

SunLive has requested details of exact faults and is expecting the information later today.

Sarah can confirm some physical repairs are required and expected to take 24 hours to complete.

The inspection also found fatigue issues among crew members, she says.

Upon arrival, the ship's cargo was permitted to be discharged at Sulphur Point after a deck walkover found no issues.

The empty ship was then moved across to the Mount Maunganui wharf.

Sarah says the ship will be checked and signed off before it is allowed to leave.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority prohibited Vega Auriga from using or entering any Australian ports due to repeated breaches relating to seafarer welfare and ship maintenance.

AMSA has detained Vega Auriga three times since July last year, with repeated concerns for the welfare of the crew, including improper payment of wages, inadequate living and working conditions and inadequate maintenance resulting in an unseaworthy and substandard vessel.

The ship is banned from Australian ports for three months and can re-enter only after the authority is satisfied it has met standards.

The Australian ban is under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, which New Zealand is not yet party to.

Consultation on the convention has been carried out, but is yet to pass the select committee process.

It must be legislated and ratified before it comes into effect in New Zealand, says Sarah.

Vega Auriga is German owned and operated, and Liberian flagged. The crew is Filipino and the New Zealand agent is the Mediterranean Shipping Company.

MSC New Zealand operations manager Mike Hodgins says Vega Auriga was off-hired by MSC as soon as it was barred from Australian ports.

'I understand that all the deficiencies that it had in Australia were actually cleared before it left Sydney the last time. It was off-hired because it can no longer go back to Australian ports.”

NZ Independent Coalition candidate for Western Bay of Plenty, Brendan Horan, says the ship is a ticking time bomb that must be banned from New Zealand.

'It poses as great a risk as the Rena did when it sailed from Napier to the Astrolabe Reef,” says Brendan.

He says the New Zealand Government should follow the lead of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

'There are serious issues around the welfare of the Filipino crew and of maintenance of the ship.

'Like the Rena, this ship was detained in Australia. It has a shocking track record, and we should not be putting the Bay of Plenty at risk again, especially with the prime example of the Rena catastrophe.

"Australia has very good legislation surrounding this as they recognise that an unhappy or impoverished crew exponentially increases the risk of accidents and catastrophes.”

The Port of Tauranga shipping schedule has the Vega Auriga expected to put to sea on the high tide at midday.

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4 comments

Begs the question

Posted on 01-09-2014 11:50 | By The Sage

It was banned from entering Brisbane, why on earth was it allowed to come into our Port?


Lazy politicians.

Posted on 01-09-2014 18:08 | By dgk

If only our local National MP had pulled finger and signed NZ up to the Maritime Labour Convention 2006.


Because we care!

Posted on 01-09-2014 20:52 | By Murray.Guy

It seems the NZ authorities determined there was no level of risk that warranted our denying it access and the crew left unsupported. Good one NZ for 'giving a damn'. A local pilot has brought the ship in, officials are making sure crew conditions and minor issues are taken care of, and a local pilot will ensure the ship safely departs. Seems a lot better all round than just shutting the gate and telling the ship and it's affected crew to bugger off!


Well said Murray

Posted on 02-09-2014 00:10 | By Bill Gibson-Patmore

Dear SunLive.... Another good story!...... May I please endorse (yet again) Murray Guy's encapsulation and comment on a current issue? .... Bill Gibson-Patmore


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