APL England Master Charged Over Loss of Containers Overboard

Stacks of containers collapsed on the deck of the APL England. Photo: AMSA

The Master of the APL England appeared in a Queensland court on Monday to face two charges related to the loss of about 50 containers overboard during heavy weather.

Mohamad Zulkhaili Bin Alias, 43, is charged with two offenses related to discharging garbage into the sea and failure to ensure his vessel was operated in a safe manner. Specifics of the charges are laid out below.

The charges carry maximum penalties in excess of $300,000.

The Singapore-flagged APL England lost about 50 containers overboard and dozens more were damaged after the ship lost propulsion in heavy weather off the coast of Sydney on Sunday, May 24.

The ship was able to restore power and arrived at the Port of Brisbane where it remains under detention.

A spokesperson for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said previously that the authority’s inspection of the ship had revealed that lashing arrangements for cargo were inadequate and securing points for containers on the deck of the ship were heavily corroded.

An investigation into the matter is on-going.

At the time of the incident, the ship was on a journey from Ningbo, China to Melbourne, Australia.

Captain Alias is due back in court on June 12.

The Charges: 

1. Section 26F of the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 – Discharging of garbage into the sea contrary to the Act
2. Section 141 of the Navigation Act 2012 – Master did not ensure that the vessel was operated in a manner that did not cause
   1. pollution to the marine environment in the coastal sea of Australia or the exclusive economic zone of Australia and
   2. damage to the marine environment in the coastal sea of Australia or the exclusive economic zone of Australia

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