STEEL DEVELOPER

scrapped

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

beached

beached at Gadani 28.05.16

sold to Breakers

sold to Gadani Breakers 260 USD/TO "as is" Taiwan, 200t bunkers ROB

Master of bulkcarrier charged for attempting to navigate Great Barrier Reef

An Australian court on Feb 17, 2015, fined the master of the "China Steel Developer" AUD8,500 (USD6,239) for attempting to navigate the Great Barrier Reef without a pilot. The Taiwanese national Lu Chih-Ming was nabbed in a joint operation between the Australian Federal Police and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority officials, who boarded the bulk carrier on Feb 15 when it docked at the Port of Newcastle. Police charged the 66-year-old ship master for attempting to sail his vessel without a pilot through Hydrographer's Passage, a compulsory pilotage area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The Australian ship traffic monitoring system REEFVTS had detected the vessel in the compulsory pilotage zone after leaving the Port of Mackay on Jan 1. Lu was radioed to turn his vessel and take a pilot on board before continuing the journey south to Newcastle. Lu pleaded guilty and was convicted and fined in the Newcastle Magistrates Court. No prison sentence comes with the fine and the bulk carrier, currently on anchorage off Newcastle, will be free to sail once the master had rejoined the crew.