MIAO ZHOU

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Bulkcarrier on fire

In the afternoon of July 10, 2018, a fire broke out aboard the "Kuyou" in Mallegat-North in Dordrecht which has scrap on board. Extinguishing the fire was expected to take a long time, the fire department expects. Several fire engines attended. The port was provisionally closed for the other shipping traffic. Dense smoke was released during the fire, but no dangerous concentrations of harmful substances were measured. The smoke drifted towards the residential boulevard on the Mijlweg and the Wielwijk. On the A16 motorway it was somewhat hazy due to the smoke. But it was not necessary to close the boulevard or the motorway. The cause of the fire was not yet clear. There were no injuries. The fire in the scrap cargo was under control by 8.30 p.m. Two fireboats had assisted the shore based fire fighting crews. Extinguishing the fire was expected to take some more hours. Four measurement crews were meanwhile monitoring the air quality in the area. , The "Kouyou" had docked in the seaport at 2 a.m., coming from Moerdijk. The ship sailed from Dordrecht on Juily 27 at 5 a.m. and berthed at the Damen Shiprepair Yard in Rotterdam the same day at 7.45 a.m. for repairs. She left Aug 11 after repairs and was being moored on the RTM Anchorage off the port at 7 p.m. She left the anchorage on Aug 11 and was headed to Skagen, ETA Aug 16. Dutch reports with photos and video: https://www.rijnmond.nl/nieuws/170622/Brand-in-ruim-van-schip-Dordrecht-onder-controle https://www.rijnmond.nl/nieuws/170601/Fel-brandend-schroot-op-schip-zorgt-voor-veel-rook-in-Dordrecht https://www.transport-online.nl/site/93120/brand-uitgebroken-op-bulk-carrier-kouyou-in-dordrecht-fotos/ https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/nid29145-nl-alert-vanwege-schrootbrand-in-ruim-zeeschip-dordrecht.html

Bulkcarrier detained for serious violations of international labour standards

The "Kouyou" was detained on Oct 24, 2013, in the port of Quebec, Canada, after maritime labour officials determined that crew were owed more than US$ 51,000 in back-pay, which was the third detention in Canada of a freight vessel under the new international Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006), and problems aboard the ship were discovered by Gerard Bradbury, an inspector with the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and Unifor union. The "Kouyou" was detained for serious violations of international labour standards and violations of a collective bargaining agreement. Transport Canada was notified and has stepped in to detain the vessel until all wages have been taken care of and the crew have been sent home and our crew have asked to be repatriated after receiving wages owed them. Contact has been made with the Japanese owners Doun Kisen KK, the Japanese company that owns the vessel. The most alarming situation aboard involved crew who had paid a total of US$6,600 in fees to obtain their jobs. Recruitment or placement fees paid to manning agents are illegal under international labour conventions. 20 Burmese and Vietnamese crew, including the Canadian Captain James Maung were not being paid or treated properly, and in particular had been shorted on the home-allotment portion of their pay that provides for families left at home while seafarers are abroad at work.