U.S. Coast Guard Detains 17 Ships on Safety Faults

The U.S. Coast Guard detained 17 ships in May, including chemical tankers operated by Odfjell ASA and Stolt-Nielsen SA, the world's biggest operators of deep-sea chemical carriers, for failing safety checks. The "Stolt Tenacity" was held on May 19 in Houston, after heavy-oil stains were found on its hull near the so-called Oily Water Separator, the U.S. Coast Guard said on its website on Monday. 'Fresh paint on OWS piping indicates possible pollution to the marine environment,' the Coast Guard said. An OWS is used to separate oil from water collected in the ship's hull before the latter is pumped overboard. The Coast Guard detained nine vessels in April. It carries out inspections as part of its port state control, which identifies ships that don't comply with international maritime safety standards. The Singapore-flagged chemical tanker, "Bow Lion," was held up at Galena Park, Texas, on May 9, because its OWS wasn't working properly. The device's piping was 'internally coated with sludge,' the Coast Guard said. A Greek-flagged bulk carrier, a vessel used to carry commodities such as iron ore and coal, was detained at Vancouver, Washington, on May 19, because oil was found in the vessel's discharge valve. The crew of the ship, the "Anatoli," didn't know how to operate the OWS, the Coast Guard said. A container ship called the "MSC Elena" was detained on May 16 at Boston, because of altered entries and improper codes found in the ship's logbook. A second container ship, "Viga," was held up at Staten Island, New York, on May 27, because 'excessive oil' was found in the engine room's bilge, "posing a pollution threat and fire hazard," the Coast Guard said.