Fine for vessel survey breaches

Maritime Management Services Ltd and uncertified surveyor admit breaches

29 November 2017

After a vessel was surveyed in 2015 by a man who was not a certified surveyor, the Auckland District Court has fined Auckland-based company Maritime Management Services (MMS) $4,000 and imposed $600 costs on a Taupo man who contracted to MMS.

MMS and Roger Kenworthy Hawkes of Taupo pleaded guilty to two charges each under the Maritime Transport Act. All four charges were “doing an act without holding the appropriate current maritime document”.

In this case Hawkes did not have a Certificate of Surveyor Recognition, which shipping surveyors must hold. MMS (formerly a Safe Ship Management company) admitted to being a party to Hawkes’ offending.

Judge C.Ryan convicted and fined MMS and discharged Hawkes without conviction subject to him paying $600 towards prosecution costs.

The Director of Maritime NZ, Keith Manch, said documents linked to the vessel’s survey had concerned Maritime NZ.

Judge Ryan said that a typed document provided to Maritime NZ by MMS – on its face – was something that needed to be investigated.

Mr Manch said a commercial vessel’s Certificate of Survey is an important safety document.

Mr Manch said a vessel’s operator and, above all, the seafarers on board, must be able to rely on the surveyor to certify the vessel is safe.

“They must have confidence the survey was done by a person authorised to do such work,” he said.

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