Chinese crew refuse to sail out of Portland, taken into hotel quarantine

Chinese crew members of an international woodchipping vessel are in hotel quarantine after refusing to sail out of Portland.

Two Chinese crew members of an international woodchipping ship are in hotel quarantine after refusing to sail out of the port of Portland on Friday.

Two crew members of an international woodchip cargo ship are in hotel quarantine after refusing to sail out of Portland on Friday.

The MV Sally arrived in Portland on August 30 but its departure was delayed when the two Chinese crew members requested they be taken off the ship so they could return to China.

The age and sex of the crew members, and the reason why they wanted to leave the ship, have not been released for privacy reasons. Media reports on Friday that the crew members were seeking asylum were incorrect.

Victorian Department of Health officials medically assessed the crew members before facilitating their request to leave the ship and take them to hotel quarantine.

The department confirmed the vessel’s master reported the crew members were not showing any signs of illness and did not have Covid symptoms.

The ship, which flies under the Liberian flag, left Portland on Friday afternoon.

The crew members will undergo regular Covid testing while in quarantine, and once cleared they will be flown back to China at the vessel owners’ expense.

An Australian Border Force spokesman said ABF was aware of the situation but would not comment on individual cases.

“The role of the ABF is to manage the movement of people and goods across the border, and verify the visa status of persons arriving by air and sea,” the spokesman said.