MS Caledonian Sky anchored in Darwin amid legal dispute

A 110-passenger luxury cruise ship is stuck in Darwin Harbour for the foreseeable future, with no fixed departure date.

A luxury cruise ship stuck in Darwin Harbour could be here for the foreseeable future as legal issues around the Bahama’s-flagged vessel are resolved.

The 110-passenger MS Caledonian Sky operates cruise services for Australian Pacific Touring, a Melbourne-headquartered company that will soon be changing the vessel’s management.

This masthead understands an undisclosed number of crew are on-board the vessel as it lolls anchored in the harbour.

A report in online shipping publication Daily Cargo News earlier this month said the vessel was arrested off the Western Australian coast after being embroiled in a wage and contractual dispute.

Cruise Ship Caledonia Sky (left) could be in Dariwin Harbour for the forseeable future. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Daily Cargo News reported the International Transport Workers’ Federation Australian Inspectorate boarded the vessel in Broome in August and identified the 76-person crew had allegedly been underpaid by about $2m over a six-month period.

The report said the Admiralty Marshall arrested Caledonian Sky on August 25, but the arrest was unrelated to the ITF’s allegations of crew underpayment.

Instead, the arrest was part of a contractual dispute.

Delta Corp Ship Management was appointed technical and crew manager of the vessel.

It took the vessel’s bareboat charterer Delos Cruise Ventures II to court alleging Delos owed it a “substantial sum of money” under its ship management agreement.

Luxury cruise liner MS Caledonian Sky at Raft Point, in WA’s North-West (the Kimberley). Picture: Supplied

Delos in turn issued a caveat against release from arrest as did two other companies appointed to supply crew and to manage the vessel.

Those companies claimed Delos failed to pay agreed-to fees and expenses for their respective roles.

On September 4, the Federal Court ordered the vessel be released from the arrest of Delta Corp.

The ship is still under the control of the Federal Court and is currently anchored in Darwin Harbour awaiting a resolution to the dispute.

The promenade deck premium balcony suite, MS Caledonian Sky. Image supplied

The International Transport Workers’ Federation also lodged a formal complaint to the Maritime Association of Nationwide Shipping Agencies and Fair Work Combudsman to ensure the crew of Caledonian Sky received wages they were allegedly owed.

The NT News understands the Caledonian Sky berthed in Darwin Port last week and has been anchored offshore since shortly after it arrived.

Caledonian Sky finished its Kimberley cruise season in August.

It is the liner’s second time stuck in Darwin Harbour.

In 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic Caledonian Sky was berthed in Darwin Harbour with more than 70 crew in isolation.

Brisbane-based Captain Cook Cruises Fiji is expected to take control of the vessel in November.

A spokeswoman said a disagreement between operating parties has caused the impasse that’s seen the vessel moored in Darwin Harbour.

“In the fullness of time, we’ll be operating the ship in Fiji,” the spokeswoman said.