Ship Detained After Onboard Flood

A ship on its way from the UK to Spain has been detained after being flooded with over 180 tonnes of water. The Hanseatic Spirit was en route from Poole Harbour when the crew noticed a room containing the emergency generator and fire pump had flooded. The vessel, registered in Antigua and Barbuda, was detained by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) when it called into Portland. Inspectors found hatch covers were not watertight and paperwork was false. A port lifebuoy was also missing from the general cargo vessel, which has a gross tonnage of 2,650.Two bridge wing lifebuoys were also tied to the ship, preventing them from being released quickly in an emergency. Papers documenting rest hours had not been kept for November and "when eventually presented were false", the MCA said. Richard Pellew, of the MCA, said: "This vessel was in a very poor way when we saw her yesterday in Portland. "We identified a major non-conformity, in that the vessel had sailed from Poole with her master and company knowing that she was not fully prepared for sea because her watertight hatch covers were not secure. "Fatigue is a key issue for the MCA and the understanding of the master and crew of the importance of keeping within, and recording correctly, the hours of rest was clearly lacking on this vessel."