Intercargo called for an early casualty investigation following the tragic loss of Harita Bauxite
The International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (Intercargo) has called for an earlycasualty investigation following the tragic loss of the bulk carrier Harita Bauxite.
The Panama-registered, 1983-built handymax ship which was reportedly carrying a cargo ofnickel ore from Obi, Indonesia to China, sank on the evening of 17 February after sufferingengine failure, possibly during poor weather.
Although ten crew were rescued by a passing ship, 14 crew remain unaccounted for.
Secretary General of Intercargo, Rob Lomas said “at this early stage, we cannot speculateabout the cause of this sad incident” but, he continued “the sudden loss of another bulkcarrier in this region underlines the importance for the relevant authorities to quickly conducttheir accident investigations so that the dry bulk sector can learn and apply any safetyrelated lessons from this tragedy, and help in future prevent this unnecessary loss of life”.
Intercargo continues to work through IMO to protect the safety of seafarers and their shipsand additionally works with P&I, IUMI and other Round Table industry associations to helpstrengthen and clarify the requirements of the IMSBC Code.
The next amendment to the IMSBC Code will be formally approved by MSC 92 in May 2013, becoming mandatory from 1 January 2015. The inclusion of several changes to the Coderequested or supported by Intercargo are included, and revisions concerning the control ofmoisture content for ‘Group A’ cargoes are particularly welcomed.
Source: Intercargo
