Brazil has introduced a new inspection requirement in its ports, following a number of recent casualties involving bulk carriers, marine insurer West of England informed.
According to the requirement, all vessels 18 or more years old that are to load a cargo with a density of 1.78 t/m3 or greater – e.g. iron ore – are to be subject to an inspection upon arrival prior to loading commencing.
As explained, foreign flagged vessels will be inspected by port state control, with the requirement extending to Brazilian flagged vessels which will be inspected by flag state surveyors.
The requirement for the foregoing inspection is in addition to the annual mandatory condition survey that is to be conducted on bulk carriers, oil/ore (OOs) and oil/bulk/ore (OBOs) of 18 or more years of age.
Last week, a similar inspection for bulk carriers started in China as well due to recent casualties and structural deficiencies experienced by older bulkers. Namely, the China Maritime Safety Administration launched a special inspection campaign for bulkers of 10,000 gross tons or more, targeting vessels that are over 15 years of age as priority targets for inspection.