Italian Coast Guard Finds 54 Deficiencies After Saving Livestock Carrier
The Italian Coast Guard completed its inspection of the livestock carrier Blue Ocean A after overseeing the towing of the disabled ship into the port of Cagliari. While not saying it was a record, they are reporting the vessel racked up an astonishing 54 deficiencies during the inspection, and 30 of them led to a detention.
The full report has not been released pending resolution of the issues, but the Guardia Costiera and the Port Authority of Cagliari report that the ship will be staying in port until it can correct the long list of issues. The statement says the issues include “numerous irregularities related to the functioning of the firefighting systems, life-saving equipment, and bridge equipment” of the 34-year-old vessel. The inspection also looked at living conditions for the crew and their training.
The statement does not mention the problems with the ship’s engine, which started the incident. On January 28, the captain of the livestock carrier reported it was experiencing engine troubles and that they were attempting to anchor off the coast south of the island of Sardinia and near the small fishing and resort town of Carloforte on Isola di San Pietro. The ship had a crew of 33 aboard.
In a storm with winds of over 50 mph and waves running at 5 meters (over 16 feet), the anchor was not holding, and the ship was being driven toward the shoreline. The crew requested an emergency evacuation, but the winds were too strong for the helicopter. The first tug on the scene reported that four towlines had parted. The Coast Guard and a larger, private tugboat worked and were able to secure the vessel and hold its position offshore overnight until the storm subsided and the tug was able to tow it to Cagliari.
The Coast Guard reports the Rimochiatori Sardi company will be receiving a letter of commendation for its efforts. They called it a particularly complex rescue operation.
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Typical of ships in this business, the Blue Ocean A (4,780 dwt) was built in 1992 as a containership and was converted in 2013 to become a livestock carrier. The ship, which is registered in St. Kitts & Nevis, is 117 meters (384 feet) in length and owned by a company in Turkey.
The ship was returning from the Middle East, bound for Cartagena, Spain, meaning it likely did not have any animals aboard. Its prior inspections in 2025 had found a few issues, including hull corrosion and issues with the steering gear, but the list of issues was short, and the vessel was not detained.
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