The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has banned the bulk carrier, MV Rena, from entering Australian ports for six months following its failure to maintain a safe working environment for its crew and pay outstanding wages.
The Bahamas flagged vessel has been found guilty of not paying its crew their wages for several months.
During a Port State Control inspection in Hay Point, Queensland, by AMSA, the ship was found to have failed to pay its crew their cash component, which amounted to around US $53,000. This is a breach of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.
AMSA reports that the ship was also found to have a generator that failed to start, failure of lifeboat starting arrangements, and short comings in the safety management system.
Not only do these deficiencies indicate a lack of care and consideration for the crew’s welfare, but they also pose a significant threat to the marine environment.
AMSA’s General Manager of Operations, Allan Schwartz says that the breaches of the ISM Code and Maritime Labour Convention indicates that the ship is not being operated to meet applicable standards. Furthermore, the time taken to rectify these issues and pay the crew is unacceptable.
As fathom-news reported earlier in the week, there is a current shortfall of about 16,500 officers. Failure to attract and retain crew often requires them to feel a sense of appreciation, belonging, and care. Chris Wincott, Consultant at NJC Associates, told fathom-news that while seafarers appreciate the challenging environment they have chosen to work in, they would like their employer to show some understanding of their personal circumstances.
Failure to pay the crew and adhere to safety standards indicates cause for crew members to feel underappreciated and under cared for. This incident reported by AMSA indicates that there are still cases where crew welfare and safety needs to be prioritised in order to ensure crew members feel cared for and to prevent an early exit.
The MV Rena’s crew members have received their wages on August 3 according to AMSA and the Bahamas flag state. The vessel was detained for a total of 29 days at Hay Point.
Reportedly, the ship has also been detained by AMSA in February this year at Port Adelaide for a number of deficiencies, including evidence that the crew were working excess hours.
Fathom-News
editor@fathom-mi.com
