Bbc-Rio

The 'BBC Rio' was banned from Australian ports for three months due to what AMSA called serious and repeated safety and pollution prevention related failures. The ship was detained on Aug 18, 2020 in Bunbury after a routine inspection revealed 20 deficiencies. Those deficiencies ranged from serious electrical hazards, faulty fuel oil leak alarms, defective forepeak tank head, a defective bridge window, a broken sewage treatment plant and significant oil accumulation in the engine room. AMSA had also previously detained a sister ship, the 'BBC Rainbow', on Feb 12 for similar failures relating to safety and pollution prevention. The operator was issued with a formal letter warning that should the 'BBC Rainbow' or another ship in its fleet be caught with serious deficiencies in Australian waters again, that it may attract more serious regulatory action. The 'BBC Rio' rectified the most serious safety deficiencies according to AMSA while detained in Bunbury and was permitted to offload its remaining cargo in Adelaide, South Australia as scheduled to avoid any disruption to cargo operations.

On March 23, 2020, at noon today, a 42-year-old crew member of the "BBC Rio", enroute from Kandla to Gibraltar, which was in the waters of ​​Matala Bay, was in need of immediate hospitalization. A patrol vessel medevaced the patient and transported him safely to the port of Kokkinou Pyrgos. A waiting ambulance took him to the Moeres Health Center.