ASPHALT SPIRIT

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Master fined for not reporting engine breakdown

The master of the 'Asphalt' Spirit was fined 3,000 Australian dollars after failing to immediately report a main engine breakdown that left the vessel adrift off Queensland en route from Korea to Australia at 4 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2019. The incident was not reported to AMSA until after 10 p.m., six hours after the breakdown. Modeling predicted the possibility of the ship running aground at the southern end of North Stradbroke Island within 17 hours if it continued to drift without power. AMSA also reported that the ship’s master did not respond until 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 1 to confirm that the engine damage could not be repaired at sea. AMSA began making arrangements to respond with an emergency tug from Brisbane, but the ship’s insurer instead made arrangements for a tug, which towed the tanker to Brisbane later that day. On Dec. 9, 2019, the ship’s master pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Magistrates Court to one count of failing to report a marine incident to authorities without delay, as required by section 11(1) of the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983.