Seafarers appear to be digging in their heels to force their repatriation as thousands remain stranded on land and sea.
According to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), Australia is facing economic carnage from clogged ports as a result of a rapidly worsening crew change crisis around its coasts, as crews in Western Australia and Victoria refuse to keep sailing in bids for repatriation.
The ‘Conti Stockholm’ is reportedly stranded, going nowhere, as the company awaits a relief crew. The current Romanian, Chinese, Sri Lankan, Filipino and Polish crew members refused to sail the ship and demanded repatriation after many months at sea. These seafarers are over contract, and have a right under the Maritime Labour Convention to stop working at completion of their contracts, and be returned home at the employer’s expense, says the ITF.
“The failure of governments to introduce a system of effective crew change has directly led to more seafarers being over contract and taking matters into their own hands to get home.”
On another vessel, the Marshall Islands-flagged ‘Ben Rinnes’, all of the crew who have taken a stand to get off have been on board for longer than the legal maximum, except for just one, who will go beyond the 11-month limit within the next 30 days.
One of the crew has been more than 17 months on board. The crew have told the ITF that they signed five-month extensions after their nine-month tour, on a promise from the owners to repatriate them. As of yet there are no plans by the company to get them home, they say.
“Let’s be clear: these tired and fatigued seafarers are simply exercising their human rights to get off these ships because governments like Australia refuse to address the issues around the crew change crisis,” an ITF spokesman said.
Some governments in the meantime are taking steps to speed up the transit of registered seafarers through their borders, with the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) having designated seafarers as “essential workers” under its Disaster Risk Management Act.
GOJ is encouraging ship owners to make the necessary arrangements as soon as possible to safely repatriate seafarers whose Seafarers Employment Agreement has expired and has implemented measures to support the repatriation of seafarers and crew changes via Jamaica.