A SHIP can be detained if it is found to be unfit to go to sea, and the last one held at a North-East port had over 20 issues.

The multi-use ship Pohjanmeri and her crew were detained at Sunderland on February 29, 2020, after inspectors found missing documents, wrong information on the fire control plan, corroded ventilators and air pipes and bathrooms not properly maintained, as well as a host of other problems. 

The 42-year-old cargo and research vessel sails under the flag of Finland. Its name translates from Finnish to 'North Sea'.

She could not be detained for any of the 22 defects individually, but the number of combined problems on board revealed that the International Safety Management (ISM) Code was not properly implemented. 

The ISM Code outlines an international standard for the safe management and operation of ships out at sea.

This is a detainable fault, with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) responsible for ensuring the vessel is compliant before it continues its journey. This is to protect the ship, crew and the environment. 

For the ship to be released, corrective action and an audit by the flag State, in this case Finland, or the recognised organisation must be completed to deal with the underlying issues.

Pohjanmeri was released on March 17, 2020, after being held for 18 days, and no ships under foreign flags have been detained in the region since. 

One of the ship's faults was in relation to accommodation, recreational facilities and food and catering, which the report says were rotten.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: “We will always make sure that the crew are looked after and have sufficient provisions of an acceptable quantity and quality.

"The requirements for the provision of adequate food is a responsibility held by the company (of the vessel) at all times.”

Electrical items within health protection, medical care and social security were deemed unsafe, while lighting in some of those areas did not work and the cleanliness of the engine room was also flagged. 

The ship was renamed Pohjanmeri after being decommissioned as a minelayer for the Finnish Navy and sold off to a private company, Meritaito Oy, in 2016.

Previously named Pohjanmaa, she has a rich history within the navy, including capturing a suspected pirate mothership.

The Northern Echo contacted Meritaito Oy for comment.