Safety Issue

Asiaworld Shipping Service has updated its questionnaire to the masters of arriving ships to include the statement:

Please advise if your good vessel currently has any deficiency or other problem that may affect safe navigation, cargo operations or some other aspect of your port call at [port name], as we must declare all deficiencies to the Regional Harbour Master’s office.

Maritime Safety Queensland has advised that:

Face to face training will take place from the QSHIP support team to the agents and service providers in the first two weeks of June for the rollout of the upgraded version of QSHIPS on 18 June 2014.

During this training, it will be emphasised to agents that they are obligated to ask the master of a ship whether there are any ship defects before the agent makes that declaration in the defect module of QSHIPS when entering the ship’s movement into the programme.

VTS and pilots are to positively exchange vessel defect information during the initial VHF reporting, prior to commencing entry or departure.

VTS and BMP documented procedures (Port Procedures Manual, VTS Standard Operating Procedures and BMP Safety Management System) are being amended to fully reflect the requirement to positively exchange ship defect information during VHF reporting.

The master, owner and agents of the HC RUBINA were reminded of their statutory obligations to report a ship’s defects prior to a ship’s arrival at, or departure from a pilotage area. Section 181 of the Transport Operations Marine Safety Regulations 2004 refers to that report being made in the approved form. That obligation is met by accurately completing the mandatory ship defect field when making a booking through QSHIPS.

Brisbane Marine Pilots has advised that:

• Since the incident, in co-operation with MSQ, positive reporting of declared defects occurs between pilots and VTS.
• On the 28th May 2014 the incident and defect reporting requirements were discussed at our monthly pilots meeting.
• On the 4th June 2014 the incident and reporting requirements were discussed with the RHM’s office at our quarterly meeting.
• On the 3rd July 2014 the reporting requirement was communicated to all pilots via email.
• On the 30th July 2014 the incident and defect reporting requirements were again reinforced in discussions at our monthly pilots meeting.
• On the 15th August 2014 a safety notice was issued, to confirm the defect reporting requirement, was issued to all pilots