DIAS Marine Consulting p.c., informs about yet another incident in one of the largest Ukrainian ports, port of Yuzhny, not far from Odessa. The authorities of the port have decided to outset the P&I surveyors completely from the territory of their port. The permits to enter the port’s territory are being taken away from the surveyors representing the interests of the Shipowners and P&I Clubs. Two surveying companies have already been deprived of their permissions.

The background of this might be that a certain time ago there occurred two rather serious conflicts between the Shipowners and the Charterers / Shippers concerning the condition of the cargo of iron ore concentrate. In both cases, the vessels loaded the cargo of Iron Ore Concentrate and P&I surveyors detected that the moisture content of the cargo loaded on board exceeded the declared Transportable Moisture Limit (TML), and this was a breach of the requirements of IMSBC Code (Cargoes Subject to Liquefaction).

Reliable sources claim that, in the very near future, the state-owned enterprise of the port of Yuzhniy is to be bought out by private investors whom it appears decided to protect themselves against losses related to rejected cargo and to prevent the Shipowners from having their interests protected by stopping the activity of their surveyors.

At that though the cargoes of Iron Ore Concentrate (IOC) are being loaded at Piers 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the port, the surveyors are not allowed to enter the whole territory of the port and not only these piers.

It means that any vessel entering the Ukrainian port of Yuzhny will be unable to get P&I surveyor’s attendance and thus will be exposed to any types of claims.

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