Bulk Carrier XIN HAI TONG 18 Detained in Varna

The bulk carrier XIN HAI TONG 18 (IMO 9519004) has been detained following a Port State Control inspection carried out under the Paris MoU at the port of Varna on 29 Sep 2026. Inspectors recorded 20 deficiencies during the examination, of which 10 were classified as detainable, prompting authorities to hold the vessel in port until the issues are rectified. The Marshall Islands-flagged ship has a gross tonnage of 32,987 and is managed under the ISM Code by Fujian Dasong Intl Ship Mgmt. The Paris MoU, which oversees port state control across European waters and the North Atlantic, carries out inspections to verify that vessels comply with international safety, environmental and labour standards. A high number of detainable deficiencies, as recorded in this case, typically indicates significant shortcomings in areas such as fire safety, life-saving appliances, structural condition or crew certification, though the specific nature of the deficiencies has not been disclosed. The vessel will remain under detention at Varna until the identified deficiencies are addressed and verified by port state control officers, after which it may be cleared to resume commercial operations. No further details on the timeline for release have been made available. Port state control detentions of this scale are closely monitored within the shipping industry as indicators of vessel and fleet management standards, and can affect a company's inspection performance record under regional memoranda of understanding.