A crew of international seafarers aboard a coal ship operated by Orient Line Corp, headquartered in Japan, have finally got justice.
Earlier this week, International Transport Workers’ Federation inspectors performing random inspections at the Port of Newcastle discovered “a concerning case of wage theft and human rights abuse aboard the bulk cargo ship Costanza, with crew members denied their legal right to shore leave and owed $66 500 in unpaid wages over three months”.
As a consequence of the findings, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) detained the ship in Newcastle and has enforced compliance with Australian and international laws, delivering wage repayments and a repatriation plan for crew members at the next port call, along with shore leave in the meantime for crew, some of whom have been aboard for almost 11 months.
One crew member, speaking on condition of anonymity, told ITF inspector Dan Crumlin: "I really want to get off and just to walk around, just to touch a tree and refresh, this will be very good."
The ITF also arranged for access to free, high-speed WiFi via Seafarer Connect, a project by the Tas Bull Seafarers Foundation to provide reliable, fast and free WiFi to visiting seafarers.
“Just being able to provide the means to call home or join a video call with family members on the other side of the globe is a massive boost to the mental health of seafarers who’ve been treated so poorly and basically imprisoned on this ship”, said Crumlin.
The issue of seafarers being denied shore leave is under heavy scrutiny by the ITF and Amsa, since there is no legal basis for preventing crew from taking time off while in port to disembark and enjoy some respite away from the ship. Amsa has repeatedly threatened rogue shipping companies and agents with legal action if they refuse to permit crews access to shore leave while berthed in Australian ports.
