Maersk Kiera - Prosecuted

[alistairuk]

Full story: http://hmcoastguard.blogspot.co.uk/2...s-tankers.html

At a hearing today at Truro Magistrates Court, the owner of a tanker paid a total of was fined and costs awarded totalling ?22,500 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to a breach of UK maritime pollution legislation.

On 25 February 2012 a satellite operated by European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) detected a ship trailing a slick in the waters between Lands End and the Scilly Isles. A report was made to the MCA. The alert level was given as RED, i.e. high confidence. The ship was identified as the Singapore registered tanker Maersk Kiera. The slick itself was within 12 miles of land.

The vessel was contacted by Falmouth Coastguard to query whether they were carrying out tank cleaning operations as they had satellite imagery of oil traces in the track of the Maersk Kiera. The Master confirmed to Falmouth Coastguard that tank cleaning and associated discharge following a cargo of palm oil was indeed being undertaken, but that they were complying with International requirements.

...continued...

[GuinnessMan]

Morons...

[Lewis]

From a practical point. Granted it might not look pretty but will vegetable oils and fats do much harm?

[GuinnessMan]

Maybe. I don't think it's harmful like crude, but its bloody viscous stuff and I cant remember off hand if you have to chemicals to wash it off ir not (IFHP should know).

Sent from the Batcave via carrier pigeon....

[Dosedmonkey]

This sounds like the stuff that might of screwed up all those birds this year, although it was happening before this spill?? Tank cleaning is proper dodgey, even out of 12 miles.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21287947

[Clanky]

Palm oil breaks don quite readily in the sea which is why it can be legally discharged outside the 12 mile limit.

It would be interesting to know if this was an intentional discharge or some kind of misunderstanding regarding baselines etc. It is incredible how many people do not know that the 12 mile limit is from the baseline and not the nearest bit of land that they can see on the chart.

Also incredible how many people still believe that you have to be 12 miles from the nearest land to pump bilges through a 15ppm oily water separator, I have spoken to cadets in the last few years who are still being taught this at UK colleges and I have seen it in a chief engineer's standing orders as recently as 2 years ago!

Unlike the pirates' code MARPOL is not more like sort of guidelines, it is the law and it really is worth reading it properly and getting a thorough understanding of the parts which effect the ships which you work on rather than relying on what some bloke in a pub told you once.

[Lewis]

Unlike the pirates' code MARPOL is not more like sort of guidelines,

best line I've ever read on here.

[Dosedmonkey]

Also incredible how many people still believe that you have to be 12 miles from the nearest land to pump bilges through a 15ppm oily water separator, I have spoken to cadets in the last few years who are still being taught this at UK colleges and I have seen it in a chief engineer's standing orders as recently as 2 years ago!

Well for Engineers, both Warsash and Tyne Side teach the pupils correct from my experience, but at both Class IV and Class II levels, people think the college told them 12 miles for this, but it always ends up being, on their ship it is 12nm. Which it can be under company SMS, because for example, you can not discharge oily bilges with in 12nm of USA, because it is not dependant on just flag rules, it is also dependant on the territory you are entering and their rules.

This is one reason possibly a Chief Engineer would want their standing orders to be 12nm, which they are in their rights to put in their standing orders. Only under MCA regulations and MARPOL it does not state you must be out side of 12nm.