A post-Panamax bulk carrier stranded for several months at a port in central Queensland has safely been towed out to the sea and reportedly banned from Australia. The KMAX Leader reached the Port of Gladstone in 2023 (October) and was prepared to transport coal to Southeast Asia.

However, the mechanical issues had it moored at the port while the repairs stalled for nearly four months. It is being towed back to the Philippines now for necessary repairs. On Thursday, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (abbreviated as the AMSA) banned it from re-entering Australian ports for almost a year.

The insufficient information from the owners of the KMAX Leader has been highly disappointing, Michael Drake, AMSA’s executive director of operations, mentioned.

AMSA expects that ship operators, as well as Masters, will engage transparently, promptly, and meaningfully. International standards exist to safeguard the lives of seafarers and the precious coastal and marine environments. They are not also optional, he stated.

Porto Mare owns the KMAX Leadere in the Philippines per VesselsValue. It is the tenth vessel banned from Australia’s ports in 2023.

Reference: Splash247