Abandoned ship in Santos Port for over three years continues with uncertain future

A Tribuna approached the ship closely from the sea and saw a vessel in poor condition and capsized (Alexsander Ferraz/ AT)

The future of the Srakane ship, under the Panama flag, remains uncertain. The vessel, present since October 2020 in Baixada Santista, is docked near the Wilson Sons shipyard in the Left Bank of the Port of Santos Canal, in Guarujá, on land originally owned by the Mixed Cooperative of Japanese-Brazilian Fishing.

According to the São Paulo Port Captaincy (CPSP), negotiations are underway between the ship's owner, Vintage Trading SRO, a company based in Slovakia and legally represented in Brazil by the law firm Varea & Dionísio, and the company Thurf Comercial, interested in acquiring the hull.

Because of this, says CPSP, representatives are carrying out maintenance and surveillance actions in the vessel to prevent further deterioration of the hull conditions. However, A Tribuna got very close to the ship, by sea, and saw a vessel in poor condition, degraded and capsized.

The Navy ensures that all steps are being monitored by official bodies.

Crew members

In 2021, Srakane made headlines due to the difficulties faced by the crew, who were left without water, food and fuel and managed to be repatriated to their home countries. In May 2021, the ship had a debt, due to unpaid crew salaries, exceeding \$111,000, equivalent to R\$602,000 at the time's exchange rate.

Its return to the news occurred on the last day of 22nd due to a ship fire fighting drill conducted by the Fire Department, lasting two and a half hours. All relevant authorities were notified of the exercise, according to the firefighters, and the activity did not disrupt the routine of the Port of Santos. However, the fire frightened many people, who thought it was a real occurrence. "There is no normative impediment issued by CPSP that prohibits the conduct of exercises or simulations on board ships, with compliance with the regulations for each type of activity being the responsibility of their owners or legal representatives", says the Captaincy.

Unfit conditions

The vessel is not in navigable condition due to structural issues, machinery deficiencies and lack of crew, confirms CPSP. "It is noteworthy that since its arrival at the Port of Santos in 2020, the ship had been towed due to a maintenance contract signed with the shipyard, aiming to address discrepancies pointed out by the Brazilian Navy after being inspected by the Delegation of the São Sebastião Port Captaincy", it justifies.

As nothing was resolved, given the absence of a current maintenance contract, and the repatriation of the crew, which constituted abandonment of the ship, there is, in the Captaincy's view, "an out-of-operation ship with serious watertightness and stability problems, worrying this Maritime Authority and the other authorities of the Port of Santos, due to the risks presented to navigation safety".

The Report sought the legal representatives of Srakane in Brazil to discuss the ship, but they were not found.

Contamination?

The São Paulo Port Captaincy (CPSP) also stated that it is not aware of any cargo onboard. The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) responded that, currently, the ship is listed, meaning inclined, with one side submerged, which prevents sanitary actions and, therefore, knowledge about its contents. For the same reason, the agency also states it is not possible to estimate any contamination risks.