A Yangzijiang Shipping bulker has been banned from entering an Australian port for a year after it was found that the crew had been underpaid.
The discovery aboard the 93,200-dwt TW Hamburg (built 2012) was made during an inspection in Gladstone on Friday.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) boarded the ship after receiving information that seafarers on board had “expired employment agreements and had requested repatriation”.
During the inspection, the Australian maritime regulator said it was approached by seafarers who claimed they had been underpaid.
“Evidence was collected … which substantiated these allegations and confirmed that crew were owed about AUD 42,000 [$30,225],” AMSA said.
“Crew were found to have duplicate seafarer employment agreements with a difference in wages between the two agreements of about 25%. They were being paid based on the agreement for the lower amount.”
Taking financial advantage and mistreating seafarers in this way is nothing short of exploitation by people in powerful positions
AMSA
During the inspection, AMSA said it also discovered that the quantity and quality of food provided was “well below the standards required by the Maritime Labour Convention”.
AMSA inspectors said the galley and fridges were “filthy and the ship had very poor hygiene practices overall”.
Filthy galley and fridges
“Those crew are now being repatriated after rightly refusing to continue working under such atrocious conditions,” AMSA said.
AMSA acting general manager of operations Michael Drake said this constituted a “serious breach of the Maritime Labour Convention” which upheld the rights of seafarers to decent working conditions.
“Taking financial advantage and mistreating seafarers in this way is nothing short of exploitation by people in powerful positions,” he said.
“The majority of industry operators do the right thing by their seafarers, but for the few who do not — consider this a reminder that you will be held accountable.”
AMSA has banned 16 ships from Australian ports since 2014, mostly for failing to pay seafarers their wages on time and in full.
Earlier this week it banned the 28,300-dwt bulker Agia Sofia (built 2008) from Australian ports for six months after it was found the crew were due AUD 45,000 in unpaid wages.
Australia also banned the 40,000-dwt Fortune Genius (built 2002) and 34,500-dwt Xing Jing Hai (built 2015) in September for collectively owing their seafarers AUD $240,000.
“Any ship that arrives in Australia under such conditions can expect the same treatment. We will not tolerate the exploitation of seafarers in our waters,” Drake said.
AMSA said it has since received confirmation that the crew of the TW Hamburg have now been paid their outstanding wages and have come ashore to be repatriated.
“The ship has departed Gladstone and will not be permitted to approach or enter an Australian port until 29 July 2021,” the regulator said.
A spokesperson for Yangzijiang Shipping declined to comment.
