Barkly Pearl: Hole in Hull takes it on Journey to Hell
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned the vessel over a hole in its hull.
Seatrade Maritime News reports about the Marshall Islands-registered livestock carrier, Barkly Pearl, being banned for two years by Australia, after being spotted sailing through the country’s northern waters with a hole in its hull. The AMSA intervened in this matter, ensuring that the vessel was safely brought to harbour at Geraldton.
Concerns raised by the AMSA included disquiet over the ship’s structural strength, as well as the harm it could potentially cause to the environment and crew onboard. Once brought back to harbour, Barkly Pearl was put onto Falcon, a semi-submersible heavy lift carrier that will take it away from the country’s shores for repair work.
The AMSA has blamed both the owners as well as the operators of the vessel for being grossly negligent about its maintenance. In his statement about the decision taken by AMSA, its General Manager Operations, Allan Schwartz, stressed on the potentially destructive impact the vessel could have on the country’s marine environment, apart from the obvious safety risk it carries, to its own crew members as well as other seafarers.
Footage from the AMSA Challenger below, taken on 2 November 2020 and 7 January 2021, clearly shows the vessel sailing along with a hole in its hull, as well as its subsequent journey on board the Falcon.
