NEW ZEALAND – The New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries has confirmed it does not intend to prosecute the owners of a ship evicted from New Zealand because it was severely contaminated.

MPI ordered the palm kernel bulk carrier, DL Marigold, to leave within 24 hours on Sunday after it arrived in Tauranga from Indonesia.

Divers found dense clusters of barnacles and tube worms on the vessel’s hull.

Sharon Tohovaka, Ministry of Primary Industry’s border clearance capability manager, said the DL Marigold was identified as a risk before it arrived in Tauranga.

The ship’s departure from New Zealand waters was a “precautionary” biosecurity measure.

Tohovaka said no other vessels had been affected, and while there was a potential for contamination of local waters, there was no evidence this had happened.

MPI would not be prosecuting the owners, but the vessel would not be permitted to return to New Zealand until it was cleaned and met biosecurity requirements, she said.

Reon Tuanau, Taurnga’s Ngai Te Rangi Iwi’s resource management unit manager, said he was stunned to learn of the eviction from a media report, rather than from MPI.

“Good on MPI for acting so quickly but we don’t know what sort of fouling or other nasties this ship has left in our harbour.”

It was crucial Tauranga iwi were notified of any potential risks from invasive marine species, and he planned to take the matter up with the Ministry, he said.

A ministry spokesperson said it was not usual practice to inform local iwi of day-to-day decisions by border officials, but the ministry would be happy to keep them informed of similar decisions in the future.

Port of Tauranga’s operations manager Phil Julian said the port would be writing to the ship’s owners asking for an explanation.

Julian said the matter would also be brought to the attention of other importer and exporter groups to reinforce the Port’s expectations about the cleanliness of their vessels.

Emma-Leigh Hodge, Green Party spokeswoman for Tauranga, said MPI should be congratulated for acting so quickly.

The evicted vessel had been intending to head to Fiji to be cleaned, but was refused entry.The Biosecurity Authority of Fiji stopped the Korean cargo ship from entering Fijian waters after it was ordered to leave New Zealand on Sunday.

The ship’s crew signalled its intention to sail to Fiji to clean the vessel before returning to New Zealand to finish unloading its cargo of palm kernel feed for dairy cows.

But the Fiji authority said it had notified the vessel’s India-based agents, Campbell Shipping, that the DL Marigold would not be allowed to enter Fijian waters to clean its hull.

Fiji’s Biosecurity Authority (BAF) chief executive Xavier Khan said the DL Marigold could cause biofouling that could devastate Fiji’s marine environment, if an invasive species was introduced.

Khan said marine species carried on the ship’s hull could establish a reproductive population in Fiji that would multiple into pest proportions.

He said invasive species were already causing enormous damage to biodiversity and the natural riches that Fijians depended on.

With dirty vessel DL Marigold in limbo Seatrade Maritime News asked Dubai-based marine services and logistics firm GAC Group if its remote hull cleaning operation could be a solution.

David Jones, ROV superintendent at GAC said the firm has the existing technology to make the vessel safe again.

“Our remote controlled underwater hull cleaning unit captures 99 per cent of marine fouling and debris cleaned off the ship,” he commented.

“This is supported by each location having to pass its own water samples and analysis in order to obtain permission to conduct hull cleaning operations for that location.”

The only place GAC operates in Asia is Singapore and cleaning there would require permission from the authorities.

Asked whether the hull cleaning solution could be utilised on the vessel in Singapore, Jones said: “We currently clean vessels that are conducting cargo operations inside the Singapore ports.”

He added: “As there are no divers involved we are allowed to clean 24 hours a day, so this enables us to conduct fast turnaround of vessels that are on a tight schedule.”

It marks the first time an international vessel has been expelled from New Zealand waters for biofouling.

From May 2018 it will be mandatory for all international vessels entering New Zealand waters to have a clean hull and in the interim action can be taken in severe cases as it has been with the DL Marigold.

Facts about tube worms:

- It is a worm-like invertebrate which anchors its tail to an underwater surface.

- It secrets a mineral tube around its body.

- They’re an aggressive species which can easily dominate native fauna and have dramatic effects on the environment eco-system in an area. - PNC/NZH