The US Coast Guard has detained 15 container ships owned by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company since the beginning of 2022 for safety violations stemming mostly from improper maintenance and oil leaks.
Most recently, the Coast Guard cited the 9,200-teu MSC Candice (built 2007) in September this year in Staten Island, New York, for oil accumulating in the engine room and improper equipment maintenance, among other things.
It detained the 8,098-teu MSC Vittoria (built 2006) in August for the same violations while it was in Portsmouth, Virginia, according to Coast Guard documents.
In July, it held up the 5,711-teu MSC Katyayni (built 1996) in Staten Island for oil collecting in the engine room, passages insufficiently sealed for fire safety, unsafe storage of fuel samples and a fire door to the engine room that was warped and did not close properly.
In the same month, the 6,078-teu MSC Darwin VI (built 1999) was detained in Newark, New Jersey for oil accumulation in the engine room, ungrounded electrical devices and inoperable deck lights.
Other detained ships include the 6,492-teu MSC Aquarius (built 2003) in June in Charleston, South Carolina, for improper equipment maintenance and water leaking from pipes and equipment, and the 3,398-teu MSC Korea (built 1996) in March in Staten Island for oil accumulated in the engine room and improper equipment upkeep.
The 9,200-teu MSC Joanna (built 2006) was held in January in Charleston for improper equipment maintenance and a lifeboat with a sheared gearbox and in September 2022 in Staten Island for improper equipment upkeep and oil collecting in the engine room.
In March last year, the 4,250-teu MSC Angela (built 2008) was detained in Staten Island because fuel pipes were leaking and fire insulation was missing from certain areas.
MSC did not respond to a request for comment.
