The Australian Maritime Safety Agency (AMSA) has issued a 180-day ban on the Chinese-flagged LNG carrier “CESI QINGDAO,” following a malfunction that caused a blockage in one of Australia’s key LNG export facilities.
This embargo, which is set to remain until June 2024, was imposed in reaction to an incident in which the CESI QINGDAO, a regular visitor to the terminal, suffered a power breakdown on November 21st, becoming stuck at the export terminal and preventing other vessels from entering.
The terminal’s operating energy provider, suffered significant losses as a result. Origin Energy reported a decrease in output due to the accumulation of a backlog from missing multiple LNG cargoes, resulting in three shipments being delayed.
AMSA declared the vessel “unseaworthy” when discussing the incident with the Australian media.
AMSA collaborated with the vessel’s master and operator, and supervised significant repairs on the ship. These repairs focused on four generators, one of which underwent a complete rebuild under the engine manufacturer’s supervision.
Australian regulators sent the ship to an anchorage for repairs after towing it out of the terminal after the incident. After being anchored for three more weeks to complete repairs, the ship was towed back to China, where it is scheduled to arrive on January 12.
Even though the AMSA issued nine bans in 2023, this one is notable for its lengthier duration. The severity of this action was attributed by AMSA to “the response of the operator and the ship’s master during the repair process.”
