A nearly 650-foot car carrier that had been detained at the Port of Portland after losing power near the mouth of the Columbia River last week has been cleared by the US Coast Guard to leave.
The M/V Morning Spruce had been detained since Feb. 28 after the vessel lost engine power while 12 miles southwest of the Columbia River bar. Power was restored by the ship’s engineer about four-and-a-half hours later.
A subsequent inspection by Coast Guard Port State Control Branch of Marine Safety Unit in Portland found numerous safety hazards on the vessel.
After remaining in port for a few days, another Coast Guard inspection determined that the violations, which included fire control boundaries, excessive oil in machinery spaces, soft patches on fire main piping and heavy hydraulic leaks had been remedied, according to the USCG.
In addition to a full shipment of vehicular cargo, the vessel was also reportedly found to be carrying 543,000 gallons of heavy oil, diesel fuel and lubricant oil when initially inspected.
The Singapore-flagged car carrier is owned by EUKOR Car Carriers, one of the world’s largest operators of car and truck carriers.
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