A Nigerian commercial vessel was Wednesday impounded at the Takoradi Port after its seaworthiness was doubted by the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA). The vessel, MT Livia, built in Norway in 1973, was transporting drilling fluid from Nigeria for Ghana's offshore oil operations. It bore certificates which expired in 2010, but it was contracted by a broker to deliver the drilling fluid to MISWACO, an oil service provider in Takoradi. However, the local office of MISWACO said it was disappointed by the action of its brokers who contracted the vessel. The staircase that links the vessel and the wharf, as well as the stairs to the engine room, the Captain's Bridge and the upper deck, was found to be very rusty, while the mini craft for emergency purposes had broken down. The anchor and berthing ropes, the davit cable, the life loft and the lifebuoy were not working, as the cable was lying on the upper deck, while other life-saving devices on the deck were said to have expired many years ago. The guard rails and other metallic structures that hold the shackles and other lifesaving devices were also not complete, while part of them had broken down due to high sea corrosion. Almost all equipment on the deck of the vessel was described as scrap. When the ship arrived at the port, the GMA had to feed the crew on board, as they could not cook because the generators were not working, while the agent had to hire an external generator to enable the ship to offload its cargo. The GMA has directed the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) not to clear the vessel to sail out of the port. Officials of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) are holding meetings to determine the fate of the vessel. The GMA has warned service providers to be aware of the country's Shipping Act and added that it will not take kindly to any company going contrary to the law. For his part, the Country Director of MISWACO, Mr. Francois Couffy, said as an international company, MISWACO had a reputation to protect, adding that the vessel was not what the company had paid for. He explained that MISWACO had been taking its supplies from neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire until the turmoil in that country compelled the company to rely on Nigeria. “We would not have allowed the vessel to bring in our consignment if the agent had told us the state of the vessel,” he said. The Daily Graphic found it difficult to contact the brokerage firm which had contracted the vessel to transport the drilling fluid to Ghana. Source: Daily Graphic