The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has banned the Bahamas flagged bulk carrier MV Rena from Australian ports for six months after the ship repeatedly failed to pay outstanding wages and maintain a safe workplace for its crew.
On 30 June AMSA received a complaint from the International Transport Workers Federation alleging the crew had not been paid their total wages for several months. AMSA conducted a Port State Control inspection when the ship arrived at Hay Point in Queensland on 6 July.
Upon completion of the inspection AMSA issued the ship with a number of serious deficiencies. The emergency generator, lifeboat and safety management system deficiencies presented a clear risk to the health and safety of the crew, the ship and Australia’s marine environment. Failure to pay crew their total wages is a clear and unacceptable breach of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006.
AMSA takes a strict approach to Port State Control in Australia, and these deficiencies were serious enough to warrant immediate detention of the ship at Hay Point. The ship had also been detained by AMSA earlier this year in February at Port Adelaide for a number of serious deficiencies, including crew working excess hours.
The MV Rena remained detained at Hay Point for 29 days until AMSA and the vessel’s flag state (Bahamas) received evidence that the crew had been paid their outstanding wages on 3 August.