The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier MSXT Emily from Australian waters for one year, after finding apparent serious issues of wage theft and seafarer mistreatment onboard.
Following a tip-off from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), AMSA inspected the ship at the Port of Hay Point, in Queensland, and found evidence of several violations of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.
The vessel had been chartered by K-Line to load a cargo of coal for discharge in Japan.
Seafarers onboard the vessel had not been paid in accordance with their Seafarer Employment Agreements (employment contracts): four contained apparently-forged signatures from employees, and five seafarers appeared to have been coerced into signing new employment agreements which had lower salaries.
In one case, a seafarer had signed a new contract, while they still held a contract valid for a further four months, for 50 per cent less pay.
Inspectors found evidence that more than US$77,000 in unpaid wages had been owed to seafarers working onboard the MSXT Emily, with the ship’s operators (MSM Ship Management Pte Ltd China) attempting to pay the amount owed once they were aware that AMSA inspectors were onboard.
The vessel’s operator appears to have concealed this repeated wage theft.
AMSA Executive Director of Operations Michael Drake said this was a serious case of seafarer mistreatment.
“Wage theft, forgery and coercion are serious matters, and I have been deeply troubled to hear of the conditions on the MSXT Emily,” he said.
“The workforce conditions onboard this vessel are a disgrace, and AMSA will not tolerate this in Australian waters.
“I would like to acknowledge the role of the ITF in bringing this matter to our attention, and thank them for their continued advocacy for seafarer rights and welfare.”
Mr Drake said that a one-year ban was necessary to send the message that seafarer welfare should be a priority for every shipping operator.
“Our modern economy relies on the hard work these seafarers do, and when they are mistreated, the flow-on effects can be numerous,” he said.
“Seafarers are at sea for months at a time, and if morale is low or they are in poor physical and mental health, it can increase the risk of something going wrong.
“The supply chain, including vessel charters like K-Line, need to carefully consider which operators they engage to bring vessels to Australia.
“We’re imposing this lengthy ban as a clear deterrent and recognise that these essential workers deserve the dignity and respect of fair pay and good workplace conditions.”
澳大利亚海事安全局(AMSA)禁止悬挂利比里亚国旗的散装船MSXT Emily在澳大利亚水域航行一年，此前该船被发现明显存在严重的拖欠工资和***海员问题。
根据国际运输工人联合会(ITF)的举报，AMSA在昆士兰的海因特港检查了这艘船，并发现了几起违反2006年《海事劳工公约》的证据。
这艘船是由K-Line租用的，用来装载在日本卸货的煤炭。
船上的海员没有按照他们的《海员雇佣协议》（雇佣合同）获得报酬：四名海员的签名明显是伪造的，五名海员似乎被迫签署了工资较低的新雇佣协议。
在这个案例中，一名海员签署了一份新合同，而他们仍然持有有效期为4个月的合同，工资减少了50%。
检查人员发现，有证据表明，MSXT Emily船上的海员被拖欠了超过77,000美元的工资，该船的运营商(MSM ship Management Pte Ltd China)在意识到AMSA检查人员在船上后，试图支付所欠的金额。
这艘船的经营者似乎隐瞒了这种一再发生的工资拖欠行为。
AMSA运营执行总监Michael Drake表示，这是一起严重的***海员案件。
他说：“工资拖欠、伪造和胁迫是严重的问题，听到MSXT Emily的情况，我深感不安。”。
“这艘船上的工作条件是一种耻辱，AMSA不会容忍这种情况在澳大利亚水域发生。
“我要感谢ITF在引起我们注意这一问题方面所发挥的作用，并感谢他们继续倡导海员的权利和福利。”
德雷克表示，一年的禁令是必要的，以传达这样一个信息，即海员福利应该是每个航运运营商的优先考虑事项。
他说：“我们的现代经济依赖于这些海员的辛勤工作，当他们受到***时，其影响可能是巨大的。”
“海员们一次要在海上待上几个月，如果士气低落或者他们的身心健康状况不佳，就会增加出问题的风险。
“供应链，包括像K-Line这样的船舶租赁公司，需要仔细考虑他们聘请哪些运营商将船只带到澳大利亚。
“我们实施这一漫长的禁令是一个明确的威慑，并认识到这些重要的工人应该得到尊严和公平的薪酬和良好的工作条件的尊重。”
