Maritime Union News

Woodside Energy has reached agreement with three Australian maritime unions on the Australian crewing of an LNG vessel.The agreement with the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union – Maritime Union of Australia Division; the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers; and the Australian Maritime Officers Union preserves a role for Australian-resident seafarers in the maritime industry delivering LNG to customers across Asia.The agreement will support employment of around 70 Australian-resident seafarers on an LNG carrier within Woodside’s chartered fleet.

Svitzer Australia, a subsidiary of A.P. Møller – Maersk, announced on Monday that it will lock out all harbor towage employees covered under its 2016 National Towage Enterprise Agreement and their union bargaining representatives starting Friday, November 18, amid ongoing pay disputes.The lockout, which is slated to run indefinitely, will impact shipping operations at Australian ports in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. No shipping…

Shell and unions representing workers at its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility have reached a wage deal to end a long-running strike and restart production at the site off northwest Australia, they said on Wednesday.Shell shut the 3.6 million-tonnes-a-year Prelude facility in July and told customers it would be unable to supply LNG for the duration of the protected industrial action, or strikes approved by Australia's Fair Work Commission, over a wage dispute."Shell is pleased to confirm an in-principle Enterprise Agreement has been reached with the Australian Workers’ Uni

Unions at Shell Plc's Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) site off Australia have extended industrial action to Sept. 1 over a long-running pay dispute, the company said on Thursday. Shell shut down the 3.6-million-tonne-a-year site in July and told customers it would be unable to supply LNG cargoes for the duration of work stoppages approved by Australia's Fair Work Commission, or Protected Industrial Action (PIA). "We can confirm it's been renewed until Sept. 1," a Shell spokesperson said of the protected industrial action. The work stoppages began on June 10 and no cargoes have been shipped from the site in about five weeks, worsening a global LNG supply crunch amid the Ukraine conflict.

Workers on Shell Plc's Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility off Western Australia are set to begin 12 days of industrial action on Friday over a pay fight, a union alliance said on Thursday.Shell did not comment on what impact the mix of short work stoppages and bans on certain tasks, to run through June 21 might have on output at the 3.6 million-tonnes-a-year LNG facility."Shell recognizes the entitlement of all workers to exercise their rights, including the right to participate in industrial action," a Shell spokeswoman said in emailed comments.The action comes two months after Prelude resumed shipping LNG after a four-month shutdown due to a major power failure.The Offshore Alliance…

Offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind on Monday announced it has signed a contract to charter a crew transfer vessel (CTV) from Massachusetts-based marine transportation company Patriot Offshore Maritime Services.The 88.5-foot (27-meter) aluminum CTV will be built at Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset, Mass. for mid-2023 delivery. Based on an Incat Crowther catamaran design, with a beam of 29.5 feet and draft of 5.6 feet, it will be capable of carrying up to 24 technicians…

The head of an American mariner union says state leaders in New York and New Jersey should recognize the essential role of U.S. seafarers by prioritizing them for COVID-19 vaccination.The Washington Post, in a recent front page Sunday Business story headlined Essential, Invisible, described how “states have been hit-or-miss on vaccines” for merchant mariners and that for most of the people who go to sea, the process can be described as  “you’re on your own.” New York and New Jersey are two of the states where seafarers have not been prioritized…

An intensive training on port management and operational efficiency was delivered to high-level officials and decision-makers from maritime and port authorities around the world.The annual five-week course, delivered by the Institut Portuaire d’Enseignement et de Recherche (IPER), concluded on 11 October in le Havre, France.The 33rd Advanced Course on Port Operations and Management welcomed 19 participants from 19 countries. Seven of these participants were women. The participating countries were Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Philippines, Senegal, Somalia, United Republic of Tanzania and Togo.The course includes class-based training and site visits.

Australia “brings a smile” with Ferry McFerryface, but not everyone gets the joke. In the grand tradition of Britain’s Boaty McBoatface, Australian authorities are christening one of the ferries crossing Sydney’s world famous harbor Ferry McFerryface, but some union workers aren’t amused. The New South Wales state government announced the name for one of its six new ferries on Tuesday after a public vote, with Transport Minister Andrew Constance deeming it “one for the kids”.

Liberty Maritime responds to MEBA’s ‘Informational Picket’ against the U.S. flag operator. Coinciding with Liberty Maritime’s reflagging ceremony in the Golden Triangle; The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) this week staged what they characterized as an ‘informational picket’ today against Liberty Maritime Corp., to include Liberty Global Logistics (Liberty). Not so, says Bob Wellner, President of Liberty Global Logistics LLC (LGL), who weighed in this morning on the matter. In his own prepared comments, Wellner told Marinelink, “The MEBA agreement with Liberty Maritime only covers dry cargo vessels which are enrolled in the Maritime Security Program.

Leveraging 27 worldwide offices, the RMI Registry has been gaining market share year-on-year. Surging tonnage and a solid record for safety has pushed the registry to the head of the class. When the Marshall Islands Registry announced that it had become the world’s second largest – at a whopping 223,262,177 deadweight tons – the registry’s leadership was quick to emphasize quality as the leading reason. International Registries (IRI) President Bill Gallagher didn’t discount the importance of the deadweight milestone, but quickly moved the conversation towards why it had happened. With as many as 450 worldwide employees – the vast majority of them full time employees – IRI has done just that.

Concerned with declining market of Indian seafarers industry despite having high population in comparison to its rival countries, representatives of leading shipping associations in the country have joined a ‘task force’ or committee formed by Directorate General of Shipping of India to primarily increase the global share of Indian seafarers' market to over 9 percent from 7 percent at present. Among the associations are National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI), Maritime Union of India (MUI), Maritime Association of Shipowners, Shipowners and Agents (MASSA) and others. India with 12 per cent of the world’s population has just 7 per cent of the seafarers’ market whilst Philippines with just 2 per cent of the world's population has grabbed about 20 per cent global share.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand is concerned about the reduction in monitoring of international shipping by Maritime New Zealand, the Government agency responsible for ensuring a “safe, secure and clean” maritime environment. Less than half of “Priority 1” vessels (49%) coming into New Zealand were inspected in the 2014/2015 year, according to Maritime New Zealand’s annual report. That is well beneath the target of 70% inspections for the year, and the 82% of inspections achieved in the 2013/2014 year. Maritime Union of New Zealand national secretary Joe Fleetwood says the monitoring and investigation of compliance by international shipping was a key role of the agency.

A picket of Hutchison ports in Sydney and Brisbane has entered fourth day after the Maritime Workers Union vowed to continue defying a Fair Work order to cease industrial action. The picketers say that the power to the site has been cut in a bid to move them off. At least 29 unions have been picketing the Hutchison Ports Australia site since the company sacked 97 workers in Brisbane and Sydney via text message and email four days ago, reports The News. Maritime Union of Australia Queensland state secretary Bob Carnegie says the company has now cut power to a substation near their site to try to break the picket. “That’s the sort of animals we’re dealing with,” he told picketers. Protesting workers have refused to unload the cargo ship to arrive at Hutchison Port operations.

Infuriated workers have formed picket line at Hutchison Ports in Botany, NSW after 97 employees from Sydney and Brisbane were sacked by email. Hutchison Ports Australia operates as Brisbane Container Terminals in Queensland. Brisbane port workers woke Friday morning to discover they had been sacked overnight, with Hutchison Ports Australia alerting them to the news via text message. The sent out a message to more than 40 workers just before midnight, stating the worker had been sacked and there would be "no redeployment opportunities". "You are not required for your allocated shift, please disregard your most recent work orders, you are not required on shift until further notice," the text message sent to 41 Brisbane workers said.

The Maritime Union of Australia is willing to use its power over the country's ports to disrupt a new free trade deal with China, reports AAP. The union movement’s opposition to the China Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) has ratcheted up since the agreement was signed in Canberra on June 17. MUA Queensland branch secretary Bob Carnegie says his union controls all imports and exports and they're prepared to act against the deal, which he says is aimed at "breaking the back of trade unionism". "All it needs is a phone call and the Maritime Union of Australia will stand by any worker, anywhere, who is fighting for a free and better Australia," he said. About 400 people took part in the protest, held outside a Senate Joint Standing Committee on Treaties hearing into the deal.

The 36 Australian crew members of an Caltex tanker refusing to set sail after they were told their jobs would be gone after the next run. MR tanker Alexander Spirit (40,100 dwt, built 2007) is docked in Devonport, in Tasmania's north-west, now. The Maritime Union of Australia says the shipping company is moving to replace Australian workers with foreign seafarers, who they say are sometimes paid as little as $2 an hour. Under Australian cabotage laws, ships operating in domestic waters must employ Australian workers, but Caltex is redeploying the ship to international routes. The ship is no longer needed to transport fuel from its Brisbane refinery to other parts of Australia, Caltex spokesman said Sam Collyer. "Clearly this is a tough decision," he said.

Britons faced chaos in Calais last night after striking French sailors blocked the port for the second time in a week. Ferry services between Dover and Calais were cancelled again on Tuesday as MyFerryLink workers blockaded the French port. Strike action by around 400 workers last week led to major traffic jams of lorries, prompting migrants around the port to try to stow away on trucks bound for Britain. Unlike last week’s industrial action, which saw Eurostar and Eurotunnel also forced to cancel services, only ferry crossings are currently affected. "Right now the action is concentrated on the port," said Eric Vercoutre, head of the main maritime union organizing the industrial action, without ruling out wider action in the days ahead.

VideotelTM, the leading international provider of e-Learning maritime training programs and a company of KVH Industries, Inc., has backed calls by the UK-based maritime union Nautilus for the UK Shipping and Ports Minister to lead regulatory reforms to protect seafarers from the dangers of enclosed spaces. The general secretary of Nautilus recently wrote to the minister to point out the high incidence of death when entering enclosed spaces, where mortality occurs more frequently than during any other activity onboard. Nigel Cleave, CEO of Videotel, says the dangers of seafarers entering enclosed spaces without the necessary training and equipment are of the utmost concern.

The troubled German-owned, Liberia-flagged containership 'Vega Auriga', which was last week banned by Australia from entering its ports for three months, has now arrived in New Zealand, where it has been detained, informs ITF Seafarers. The ship – described by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority as a "repeat offender" for breaches of seafarer welfare and ship maintenance – was detained in Tauranga after Maritime New Zealand found 14 deficiencies, with 11 to be rectified before it can leave. However, the Filipino crew have now received some of their back pay due; ITF inspector Grahame McLaren reports that they have received their June and July wages, although pay for August was still outstanding.

Legislation promotes revitalization of maritime industry through export of liquefied natural gas on U.S. Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Ranking Member John Garamendi (D-Calif.) held a hearing Wednesday that brought together the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation to address “The status of the Merchant Marine”. The hearing focused attention on H.R. 5270, the bipartisan Growing American Shipping Act or GAS Act, which would promote the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on U.S.-flag vessels. Witnesses at the hearing voiced support for the legislation and efforts to increase the use of U.S. flag ships in the foreign trade. Ranking Member Garamendi said, “The U.S.

Indian seafarers serving on Indian flagged vessel are forced to pay income tax if their vessel touches two Indian ports during a voyage whereas Indians serving on foreign flag vessels were exempted from paying such a tax. This had cast a burden not only on the seafarers but Indian shipping companies which, as a result, have been seeing flight of good talent to foreign shipping companies. The National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) has been consistently persuing the matter with the Government of India demanding grant of parity to Indian seafarers serviing on Indian vessels with those on foreign flagged vessel and have now finally found success. NUSI informed that the Government has accepted thier demand for Income Tax relief to Indian seafarers working on Indian flag ships.

Tug boat engineers at Port Hedland, Australia's biggest iron ore port, plan to stop work for four hours on Nov. 12 over a pay dispute, threatening exports from BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group , according to tug operator Teekay Shipping. The Australian Institute of Marine & Power Engineers (AIMPE) has given notice of the stoppage, Teekay said, adding that it exempted towage already under way. AIMPE Federal Secretary Martin Byrne said the action was aimed at having "minimal impact" on the port's users and would take place in the morning during a low tide…