The Liberia-flagged chemical tanker ‘Tintomara’ was allowed to leave Australian waters on 26 February, following detention earlier this week at QAL’s South Trees wharf, Gladstone, over reports of crew underpayment and poor working conditions. It has been reported that the technical manager Fareast Shipmanagement Hongkong inked an industrial agreement with ITF on 26 February, after the allegations of crew mistreatment were confirmed.
According to The Observer, AMSA officials were in the middle of a general inspection onboard the ship last week, when members of the crew raised complaints about their treatment by their captain and chief officer. The complaints related to bullying, non-payment of overtime, long working hours and lack of food. AMSA detained the ship until the owner either removed the captain and chief officer or repatriated the crew.
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The crew now returned to work, after the chief officer and captain, accused of harassment, were removed from the vessel. This follows an investigation by the Maritime Labour Convention into the treatment of workers, which was described by the ITF as “horrific”. It was an MLC auditor who removed the captain from the flag of convenience ship, on Sunday night, after the chief was removed on Friday.
The agreement with ITF considers a fair wage, decent accommodation and a limit of nine months at sea. According to ITF national coordinator Dean Summers, no seafarers will be punished, banned from work or further intimidated, as per the contract.
