MUA queries foreign crews

CSL has won federal approval to fly in dozens of foreign­ seafarers from Covid hotspot in the Philippines, despite local maritime workers being available.

Maritime Union national secretary Warren Smith.

Shipping giant CSL won federal approval to fly in dozens of foreign­ seafarers from The Philippines, igniting union accusations that the Morrison gov­ern­ment allowed their entry from a COVID hotspot despite local maritime workers being available.

CSL said the 58 seafarers were flown by charter to relieve crew members who had been on the company’s ships for an extended period during the pandemic.

The company said the crew adhered to strict COVID-19 protocols­. “As a result of the pandemic, crew movements have been hindered by inconsistencies between state and federal government border restrictions and port requirements,” it said.

“Flight passenger caps and cancellations have further exacer­bated the issue.”

Maritime Union of Australia assistant national secretary Warren Smith said the government had “serious questions to answer about why, in the middle of a pandemic, it granted travel exemptions allowing foreign seafarers to fly into the country to work on coastal trading vessels”.

“The federal government grant­ed those exemptions, allowing­ CSL to fly seafarers into Australia from a COVID hotspot, despite knowing Australian seafarers were available to undertake that work,” Mr Smith said.

He said the government had issued more than 160 temporary licences to CSL, each one allowing the company to use a flag-of-convenience vessel crewed by “exploited foreign workers” to carry cargoes between Australian ports.

“These vessels travel between Australian ports, moving raw materials used on major construction and infrastructure projects, yet the government continues to rubber-stamp the use of exploited foreign workers who can be paid as little as $2 per hour,” he said.

“Rather than undertake the costly and risky recruitment of workers from overseas, the government should have rejected these travel exemptions and temporary licenses and instead required CSL to hire the highly skilled Australian seafarers who are ready and willing to undertake this work.”

Mr Smith said the current crew crisis, where foreign sea­farers have been on board vessels for more than a year, could easily be resolved if these crews were relieved by Australian workers.

Maritime Industry Australia chief executive Teresa Lloyd said there were many foreign-crewed vessels operating in Australia that needed to change over their crews. She said the inconsistencies between federal and state government border restrictions and port requirements had been “disastrous” for shipping during the pandemic.

Transport Minister Michael McCormack said the COVID-19 pandemic presented unpreced­ented challenges to the maritime industry, and the govern­ment was acting to ensure maritime safety and seafarer welfare and protect public health.

Mr McCormack added: “Crew hiring practices and other matters relating to the operation of a vessel are a commercial matter for CSL and are not regulated under the Coastal Trading Act.”