GUANG TONG 15 (IMO 8591366) detained at Ulsan, September 2026
The Panama-flagged general cargo ship GUANG TONG 15 was detained at Ulsan, South Korea on 28 September 2026, marking its second detention in under twelve months. The vessel, classed by Panama Maritime Documentation Services (PMDS), scored 49.9 out of 100 on VesselScore and sits firmly in the 'very high risk' band, with its prior detention in October 2025 at Teluk Bayur, Indonesia, already on the record.
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GUANG TONG 15 was detained at Ulsan, South Korea on 28 September 2026. The detention record names Panama Maritime Documentation Services (PMDS) as the recognised organisation and Ningbo Donghong Shipping Development Co., Ltd. as the ISM company. Neither the number nor the nature of the deficiencies has been published at the time of this briefing. At the time of the report, the vessel's AIS showed her underway with a destination of Dongjiakou, China, and an ETA of 12 October.
The vessel
GUANG TONG 15 is a 12,489 dwt general cargo ship built in 2010, making her 16 years old. She measures 139 metres LOA with a beam of 20 metres, 8,720 GT and 4,883 NT. She flies the Panama flag, which she has done since July 2022 after switching from a Chinese (PRC) registration. Classification is handled by PMDS, with Zianlian Chuen also listed as a classification entity with a 'Delivered' status. The vessel previously traded under the name Xing Ning 15 from her delivery in March 2010 until April 2019, when she was renamed GUANG TONG 15 upon change of ownership.
Inspection history
The PSC record covers 11 inspections between August 2022 and April 2026, all under the Tokyo MoU. The vessel accumulated 17 deficiencies across those inspections for a rate of 1.5 deficiencies per inspection. One prior detention is recorded: at Teluk Bayur, Indonesia on 21 October 2025, where inspectors logged five deficiencies (details not published). A follow-up inspection at the same port two days later, on 23 October 2025, cleared the vessel with zero deficiencies. The Ulsan detention in September 2026 therefore represents the second detention in just eleven months. The pattern is instructive. Between August 2022 and September 2024, the vessel was inspected seven times, mostly at Chinese ports (Tangshan, Jiaxing, Yingkou) and once at Plastun, Russia. Five of those seven were follow-up inspections with zero deficiencies, though the two initial inspections at Yingkou (August 2022, three deficiencies) and Jiaxing (November 2022, four deficiencies) both produced findings. From mid-2025 onward, the picture deteriorated. The inspection at Nghe An, Vietnam in August 2025 turned up one deficiency. The October 2025 inspection at Teluk Bayur resulted in detention. The most recent inspection before the current detention, at Zarubino, Russia in April 2026, recorded four deficiencies spanning anchoring devices, electrical installations, structural conditions, and watertight integrity. The trend is clearly worsening.
Ownership and management
The registered owner is Ningbo Guangtong Shipping Co., a two-vessel company based in Xiangshan County, Zhejiang, China, recorded in the role since April 2019. Ship management and commercial management are handled by Ningbo Donghong Shipping, also based in Xiangshan, which has held that role since April 2019 and took on ISM management duties in January 2023. Ningbo Donghong operates a fleet of seven vessels. The management structure has been stable since January 2023, with no changes in ownership or management recorded since then. The vessel's flag changed from China (PRC) to Panama in July 2022, roughly six months before the ISM manager role was formally assigned to Ningbo Donghong.
Risk profile
VesselScore rates GUANG TONG 15 at 49.9 out of 100, placing her in the 'very high risk' calibration band with an observed detention probability above 10%. The single largest risk driver is the detention history component, which scores the maximum 20 out of 20 points. The vessel's age baseline also maxes out at 10 out of 10, reflecting her 16 years in service. The deficiency rate component adds 9.3 out of a possible 15 points. AIS behaviour contributes 3.0 out of 5.0 points, driven by three loitering events and zero AIS gaps. Flag and class risk is moderate at 2.0 out of 10. Management churn scores 2.5 out of 15, reflecting the ISM manager change in early 2023. The vessel is not flagged for sanctions exposure and has no recorded casualties. She does not report under EU MRV, so fuel efficiency and hull condition metrics are unavailable.
What to watch
Two detentions in under a year is a red flag for any fixture. The vessel's deficiency trend is worsening, with structural and watertight integrity issues appearing at Zarubino in April 2026. Charterers should confirm the vessel's release status at Ulsan and request the full deficiency list once published. The PMDS classification and Panama flag combination warrants careful review of survey status, particularly given the vessel's age and recent inspection trajectory. Any further detention within the Tokyo MoU region will place the vessel at serious risk of targeting under the New Inspection Regime, making future port calls in the Asia-Pacific more fraught. The vessel's stated destination of Dongjiakou, China should be monitored for arrival.
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