European Authorities Prohibit Old Freighter for Ignoring Repair Yard Directive
A high-risk general cargo ship, the MV Lira, has been banned from entering European ports due to its failure to visit a designated repair yard in Greece. The vessel, which was built in 1985, had been detained at the Port of Olbia, Italy, but departed on October 3. Upon its release, it was required to proceed directly to a repair facility in Piraeus, a condition the ship did not fulfill. The Paris MoU, a coalition of 28 maritime authorities focused on eliminating substandard shipping in European waters, confirmed that the ship has not arrived at the port and has not provided any updates on its status.
Despite not disclosing the specific deficiencies that led to the ship’s detention in Italy, the Paris MoU categorizes the MV Lira as very high-risk due to its registration under the flag of Tanzania. The vessel previously sailed under the Panamanian flag before changing. The Paris MoU employs a risk-based targeting system that assigns ships a risk profile based on various factors, including age, flag performance, and the operational history of the shipping company. High-risk vessels are typically inspected more frequently than those deemed low-risk.
The Paris MoU maintains a detention rate of about four percent for non-compliant ships. For vessels with a history of repeated detentions, the MoU can escalate measures, including access refusal and permanent bans for habitual offenders. Last year, European ports detained 688 ships, with 19 facing bans.
