The US Coast Guard said on Sept. 11 that it has detained the
motor vessel Pegasus Highway in the Port of Tacoma due to safety deficiencies.
The car carrier vessel is being required to remain in port until the deficiencies
are rectified.
An exam team from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound conducted a
routine port state and international ship and port facility security exam aboard
the Pegasus
Highway, a 590-foot, Panamanian-flagged roll-on/roll-off vessel, on Sept.
9.
During the exam, the Coast Guard inspected fire protection, lifesaving,
machinery, navigation and pollution control systems and also assessed the crew’s
ability to respond to onboard emergencies.
While aboard the 21-year-old vessel, the Coast Guard discovered
multiple areas that did not meet international regulations, the most severe of which
involved a fire detection system that was found to be inoperable. Without a properly
functioning fire detection system, a fire on a deck carrying vehicles could have
burned without the crew receiving an early warning.
Vessels determined to be substandard during inspections are subject
to a detention and must remain in port until it can proceed to sea without presenting
a danger to persons on board or without presenting an unreasonable threat of harm
to the marine environment.
“We will continue to work with the vessel's crew to ensure the
deficiencies are corrected and the vessel is safe to resume trade,” said Cmdr. Matt
Edwards, chief of prevention at Sector Puget Sound.
