MUA: Last Aussie-Crewed Tanker to Be Removed from Australia

The last Australian-crewed fuel tanker MT British Fidelity will be taken off the Australian coast as the vessel’s contract with oil major BP will be terminated on May 9, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) informed.

The seafarers received a letter from the ship’s manager ASP informing them of the contract termination.

The crew of the 2004-built tanker, which is currently in Singapore, earlier raised objection against sailing to the Asian country fearing their jobs were in jeopardy.

Although ASP assured the crew that their vessel would return to trade on the Australian coast, the crew’s “worst fears were realised”, MUA said.

In the letter sent to the crew ASP said that it “regrets the departure of the vessel and the possible need for redundancies to occur. These are decisions by BP and not ASP.”

MT British Fidelity historically ran fuel from Kwinana to Adelaide and more recently from Kwinana to Devonport/Hobart.

The news comes on the back of last year’s letter of termination sent to the crew of BP-contracted tanker MT British Loyalty and Turnbull Government’s aim to “remove hardworking Australians who pay tax in this country and replace them with exploited foreign labour on as little as USD 2/hr who are employed on Flag of Convenience shipping,” MUA National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin, said.