Australia Clamps Down On Japan Ship Crew Abuse

Australia Clamps Down On Japan Ship Crew Abuse
Nishan Degnarain Oct 30, 2020

Australia is starting to take a firmer line against ship crew abuse by major shipping lines.

One of Japan’s largest shipping companies, NYK Line, was called out this week.

Their Panama-flagged cargo ship, the Metis Leader, was delivering cars to Australia when it was impounded in port. It had been due to leave the Port of Melbourne on Wednesday October 21.

This follows involvement from shipping union, the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF). The ITF have been warning ship owners about the crew change crisis for months, and had put out a report called ‘Beyond the Limit’ this summer.

The UN Secretary General, the Pope, and many prominent world leaders have been calling for urgent interventions into global shipping, after what has been seen as a relatively weak and ineffective set of actions by the UN shipping regulator, the IMO.

Satellite providers like Inmarsat, have been providing additional support to seafarers during the Covid-19 crisis since April, to ensure strong internet connectivity between crews and their families on land.

more...https://www.forbes.com/sites/nishandegnarain/2020/10/30/australia-clamps...