The Netherlands-flagged dredging boat Vox Maxima in the Singapore Strait on June 15. - ST
SINGAPORE: Serious lapses relating to fire safety and life-saving equipment aboard Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima were uncovered during an inspection by Singapore’s port authority in the wake of the worst oil spill here in a decade.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) confirmed on Friday (July 5) that it had carried out a port state control (PSC) inspection on Vox Maxima on June 15.
That was the day after the ship purportedly lost engine and steering control and hit Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour, which was berthed at Pasir Panjang Terminal.
MPA said the inspection, which ensures visiting foreign ships meet international standards on safety, security and marine pollution prevention, is separate from the investigations that are being conducted by the authorities into the June 14 incident.
“In addition to routine inspections, whenever there is a collision, allision or bunker spill, MPA will also do a PSC inspection. This is MPA’s current standard operating procedure,” the authority added. An allision occurs when a moving vessel hits a stationary object.
The incident on June 14 caused 400 tonnes of oil to leak into the sea, staining the beaches at East Coast Park, Labrador Nature Reserve, Keppel Bay, the Southern Islands and Sentosa, and spreading as far as the Johor coastline in Kota Tinggi.
According to a public database of PSC inspection results in the Asia-Pacific region, a total of 13 deficiencies were flagged during the June 15 inspection of Vox Maxima.
Of these, three warranted the detention of the dredging vessel, which means they were serious enough to require fixing before the ship was to leave the port.
The three deficiencies were related to fire safety, lifeboats aboard the vessel, and the International Safety Management Code, which provides an international standard for the safe management and operation of ships.
The public records did not have more details about the lapses.
Van Oord, the Netherlands-based company that manages Vox Maxima, told The Straits Times that the PSC detention related to the deficiencies found aboard its vessel was lifted on June 30.
According to MPA’s website, ships that have been detained after a PSC inspection need to apply for a follow-up inspection before they can be released.
At a press conference on June 24, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said Vox Maxima will remain in Singapore’s waters until investigations into the June 14 incident are completed.
The dredger is anchored off Singapore’s western anchorage.
On June 26, shipping publication TradeWinds reported about the safety lapses on board Vox Maxima.
Van Oord told the publication that the deficiencies on the dredger were being fixed.
Vox Maxima was last inspected in Singapore in May 2019 and in Indonesia in October 2023.
The 2019 inspection found four deficiencies related to pollution prevention, while the 2023 inspection found six deficiencies related to the working conditions on the ship, gauges and thermometers, and life-saving equipment on board.
MPA said none of the deficiencies found in these two inspections required the vessel to be detained, and all the deficiencies identified were rectified before the ship departed the respective ports. - The Straits Times/ANN
