Cargo ship banned from Australian ports for unsafe cargo operations

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued a "refusal of access direction" to the Netherlands-flagged general cargo ship Marsgracht, banning the ship from entering Australian ports for 180 days.

On February 6, 2024, Marsgracht was detained at Port Alma for improper stowage of dangerous goods – contrary to the International Maritime Organisation’s International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.

Despite this, during a port state control (PSC) inspection at the same port on November 14, 2024 (nine months later), Marsgracht was again detained for improper stowage of dangerous goods.

AMSA said this recurrence highlights systemic failures in the ship’s safety management system and a serious lack of effective remedial action.

The detention is the fourth since July 2022 for a Spliethoff's Bevrachtingskantoor-operated ship failing to comply with the IMDG Code’s requirements for stowage of dangerous goods.

AMSA said hese repeated failures demonstrate an inability to ensure safe operational practices across the fleet. The detention rate of Spliethoff's Bevrachtingskantoor significantly exceeds the global average (12.6 per cent over the past two years), with multiple ships detained for International Safety Management Code failures and other safety-critical deficiencies.

AMSA remarked that this reflects a broader pattern of non-compliance and poor performance, undermining the safety of seafarers and the Australian marine environment. Spliethoff is considered a poor performing operator, having been placed back on the list on February 8, 2024.