Manila crews ‘unavoidable’ as WA exporters forced to navigate COVID waters alone

Manila crews ‘unavoidable’ as WA exporters forced to navigate COVID waters alone
Marta Pascual Juanola April 15, 2021 https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/manila-crews-unavo...

Iron ore exporters keeping the nation’s economy afloat have no choice but to use crews from the Philippines as coronavirus restrictions make it near impossible to change over staff on West Australian soil.

Health Minister Roger Cook floated a plan last year to ban Manila-based crews from being used by iron ore carriers amid a surge in positive cases on the ships but it was quickly abandoned due to the insurmountable logistical challenges.

The capital of the island nation has become one of few viable enclaves for shipping companies servicing Australian routes to change over staff after China banned foreign seafarers from alighting in the country’s ports.

According to data from the International Chamber of Shipping, more than 1.6 million seafarers service about 50,000 merchant ships globally – most of whom come from the Philippines, China, Indonesia, Russia, and Ukraine.

This week, a crewman on board an iron ore carrier anchored off the Pilbara coast had to be flown to Royal Perth Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Filipino man was among the 24 workers who had sailed on board the Aquagenie from Manila to pick up a shipment of iron ore at Port Walcott bound for China. The bulk carrier, which sails under the Liberian flag, had been chartered by mining giant Rio Tinto.

A second crewman has since returned a positive result to a rapid point of care test on board the vessel but he is yet to be evacuated to Karratha where authorities will carry out a PCR test to rule out a false positive.

A spokesman for Rio Tinto said the Aquagenie had remained offshore in Commonwealth waters at all times and the response to the positive case was being handled by the federal government.