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Rena
(Associated Press)
Australian officials impounded a cargo ship riddled with safety violations last July but let it depart after being pressured by the Liberian government, reports the Associated Press.
That ship, the Rena, ran aground on a New Zealand reef 10 weeks later, causing the nation’s worst ever maritime environmental disaster. 400 tons of oil spilled, 2,000 birds died and pristine beaches were fouled. 89 containers have fallen from the ship, which continues to break apart on the reef near Tauranga.
Among the 18 issues found were difficulties securing the hatch, locking down the shipping containers and a general lack of maintenance. Of note were rusted and improperly tightened hatch cleats along with poor fitting cargo pins. Inspectors expressed concern that containers might come loose in rough weather.
The AP obtained this information through Australian freedom of information laws from inspection reports, emails and faxes which detail how Australia detained the Greek-owned ship. However, Liberian maritime authorities, under whom the ship is registered, intervened, stating that the problems would be fixed later and the ship was seaworthy. The vessel was cleared to sail the next day.
The Liberia Bureau of Maritime Affairs gave the 774-foot vessel one-month exemptions to address the problems. Australia could have overruled the exemptions but declined.
