LADY MIA (IMO 9546318) detained at Kdz. Ereğli, September 2026
The Palau-flagged general cargo ship LADY MIA has been detained at the Turkish Black Sea port of Kdz. Ereğli on 28 September 2026, marking her third detention in under 16 months and her fifth overall since entering service in 2009. The vessel trades under a suspended class with Dromon Bureau of Shipping, is classed by the non-IACS International Naval Surveys Bureau, and carries a VesselScore of just 30 out of 100, placing her firmly in the very high risk band.
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LADY MIA was detained at Kdz. Ereğli, Türkiye, on 28 September 2026. The detention was recorded by THETIS, with the recognised organisation listed as International Naval Surveys Bureau and the ISM company as Mia Seaways Ltd. No deficiency codes or deficiency count have been published at the time of this briefing, which is not unusual for a freshly recorded detention. The vessel was underway in the Black Sea at the time the report was generated, with a draught of 4.0 metres.
The vessel
LADY MIA is a 2,926 GT, 4,202 DWT general cargo ship built in 2009 at Zhejiang Hongxin Shipbuilding in Taizhou, Zhejiang, China. She measures 84.25 metres LOA with a beam of 14.5 metres. The vessel flies the flag of Palau, a flag she has carried since February 2023, having previously been registered in Jamaica (from 2014) and before that the Marshall Islands (from delivery). She has traded under four names: Outsailing 9 at delivery, Sea Glory from 2014, Union 1 from 2020, and LADY MIA since February 2023. Her classification history is notably turbulent. She was originally classed with China Classification Society, an IACS member, which withdrew class in March 2019. She subsequently moved to Dromon Bureau of Shipping, which suspended class in July 2025. Her certificates are now issued by International Naval Surveys Bureau, a non-IACS society. At 17 years old, she is aging but not elderly for her segment; the classification instability, however, is a more material concern than her calendar age.
Inspection history
The record shows 80 PSC inspections stretching back to July 2009, yielding 286 total deficiencies and five detentions prior to the current event. The deficiency rate of 3.6 per inspection is high for a vessel of this size and type. The detention trajectory tells the clearest story. The vessel's first detention came at Kobe, Japan, in August 2014 with 15 deficiencies. A second followed at Niigata in February 2018 with six deficiencies, and a third at Takamatsu in November 2019 with 12. All three occurred under Tokyo MoU jurisdiction while the ship was trading in East Asian waters under Chinese management. After the 2019 detention, the vessel went nearly six years without being held. That reprieve ended emphatically. She was detained at Aliaga, Türkiye, in June 2025 with 17 deficiencies, then again at Iskenderun in December 2025 with 20 deficiencies. Both were more detailed inspections conducted by Turkish authorities under the Mediterranean MoU. The current detention at Kdz. Ereğli, just nine months after Iskenderun, makes it three detentions in roughly 16 months. The geographic shift is significant. From 2009 to 2022, all inspections were under the Tokyo MoU. Since mid-2023, the vessel has been inspected across the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Paris MoU regimes, reflecting her relocation to the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea trade. A Poti inspection in May 2026 returned six deficiencies, and an Alexandria inspection in June 2026 recorded four, including deficiencies in emergency systems and working conditions. A clean inspection at Pivdennyi, Ukraine, in June 2026 offers only marginal reassurance against the broader trend. The high-deficiency inspections in Japan, notably 19 deficiencies at Osaka in May 2017, 18 at Moji in January 2019, and 17 at Kobe in November 2021, show that maintenance shortcomings long predated the current management. The vessel has consistently attracted scrutiny wherever she trades.
Ownership and management
LADY MIA is owned, managed, and ISM-managed by a single entity: Mia Seaways Ltd, registered at a Beirut, Lebanon address on Nahr Ibrahim Street, Saifi. Mia Seaways took over all three roles simultaneously on 27 February 2023, the same date the vessel was renamed LADY MIA and reflagged to Palau. The ownership chain before that point reveals frequent changes. From delivery in 2009, the vessel was managed under unknown ISM arrangements. In September 2014, Shenghua Management Ltd took over as ship manager and ISM manager, with Sea Glory International as registered owner. Dalian Shenghua Ship Management Co. assumed the management roles in December 2017. Union Sea Ltd became registered owner in January 2020. Mia Seaways then took full control in February 2023. The vessel has had four owners and at least three distinct management teams in 17 years. While the VesselScore's manager churn component scores relatively low at 2.5 out of 15, reflecting stability since the 2023 takeover, the longer historical pattern shows a vessel that has changed hands frequently. The consolidation of all roles under a single Beirut-based entity, combined with a Palau flag and non-IACS class, is a profile that warrants heightened scrutiny.
Risk profile
LADY MIA scores 30 out of 100 on the VesselScore model, placing her in the very high risk calibration band with an estimated detention probability of 13.6%. Three components are maxed out: deficiency rate (15/15), recent detentions (20/20), and severity mix (10/10). The age baseline is also at maximum (10/10), reflecting the vessel's 17-year age. The flag and class component contributes 6 out of 10 points. Palau is a flag that sits on multiple grey lists, and the vessel's classification trajectory, from IACS-member CCS to Dromon (now suspended) to INSB, is a textbook example of class-shopping that port state authorities recognise and target. AIS behaviour adds 3 out of 5 points, driven by three loitering events, though no AIS gaps were recorded. The casualty record contributes 3.5 out of 5 points: the vessel was involved in a very serious marine casualty with the Nisshin Maru in March 2010, when the ship was still named Outsailing 9 and registered in the Marshall Islands. The only component providing meaningful relief is manager churn (2.5/15), reflecting the stable single-entity structure since 2023. Sanctions screening returned clear. The overall score, however, leaves no room for ambiguity: this is a vessel that the model flags as among the riskiest in the general cargo fleet.
What to watch
The immediate question is how long this detention lasts and what deficiencies are ultimately cited. Three detentions in 16 months under the same manager puts Mia Seaways Ltd's ISM compliance under direct scrutiny; a third Turkish detention may trigger enhanced targeting under Mediterranean MoU priority mechanisms. Charterers and underwriters should note the suspended class status with Dromon Bureau of Shipping since July 2025. The vessel's statutory certificates are issued by INSB and remain in date as of the last inspection in June 2026, but any lapse or withdrawal by INSB would leave the vessel without class cover entirely. The civil liability for oil pollution damage certificate expires on 1 August 2026, and if not renewed, that alone would be grounds for further detention. The vessel's pattern of escalating deficiency counts at Turkish ports, 17 at Aliaga, 20 at Iskenderun, now a fresh detention at Kdz. Ereğli, indicates that Turkish authorities are watching this ship closely. Any charterer considering fixing her should factor in the near-certainty of further more detailed inspections at any Mediterranean or Black Sea port of call.
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