Deficiencies on Foreign Ships Turn Up the Heat on Australia’s Shipping Reform

Another foreign-flagged ship was found in Australian waters riddled with deficiencies, according to the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), at the same time the Abbott Government is pushing for reform of the Coastal Trading Act, allowing for ships’ crews to be replaced by foreign workers who are predominantly underpaid.

According to MUA, the Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier, the San Nikolas, was found in Newcastle with insufficient food and no potable water. The ship was inspected yesterday by MUA’s Newcastle Branch Secretary Glen Williams, who said he had grave concerns for the ongoing welfare of the Filipino crew.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority slapped the ship with a host of deficiencies in Brisbane last week before the ship was inspected in Newcastle. It is currently en route to Port Kembla.

Williams said his inspection found there was no fresh fruit and that there was only one medium sized pot of soup on the stove for dinner for the 24 crewmembers. He said the crew was being rationed water and if they required more they had to pay.

“The crew aren’t even receiving the International Labor Organization minimum, which is already pretty paltry at approximately $2-an-hour,” he said.

“We discovered a trainee seafarer on $425-a-month. And for that he works 12 – 14 hour shifts, seven-days-a-week, for the privilege of being away from his family for a year.

“This kind of treatment is atrocious anywhere, but there is certainly no place for it in Australian waters.”

A MUA Southern New South Wales Branch Official will inspect the vessel tomorrow upon its arrival.

The discovery adds to a number of similar cases over the recent period where foreign crews were found to be unpaid and undernourished.

The maritime industry is further concerned as the Abbott Government proposes the reform of the Coastal Trading Act, which dictates that ships trading between Australian ports must be crewed by Australian workers, or pay Australian award wages.

The amendment to the Act was inserted into May’s Budget papers but is yet to be debated in Parliament after it was sent to a Senate Inquiry, which commenced yesterday.

Williams said if the amendments were passed there would be an increase in these kind of horrific incidents.

A Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) of the inquiry into the Amendment Bill 2015 by The Australia Institute shows that 1,089 Australian seafarer jobs, or 93 per cent of the current workforce, will be lost.

As a result, the institute estimates that only 88 Australian seafarer jobs would remain, paving the way for foreign-owned companies to employ much cheaper workforce instead.