IN August, a seafarer died after falling while transferring from Formosabulk Clement to a smaller vessel as part of a crew-change operation 5 nautical miles off Point Cartwright in Queensland.
At the time, International Transport Workers’ Federation Australia co-ordinator Ian Bray said the Formosabulk Clement was reportedly sailing to a New South Wales port, where a crew change could have safely occurred at the berth.
“But because of that state’s restrictive health orders it appears the vessel operator instead decided to replace the crew while sailing down the Queensland coast,” he said.
“After spending the last year at sea, this seafarer was looking forward to finally returning home to his family, but instead they have received the tragic news that he died during the crew change. Our deepest sympathies are with his family, friends, and fellow crew members.”
And, then-Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Angus Mitchell confirmed the vessel was not destined for a Queensland port.
“Because Queensland has a mature crew transfer process that allows seafarers to come into the state in numbers above the arrival cap, and has a dedicated hotel quarantine system for seafarers, we’re seeing an increasing number of change-overs for vessels that aren’t destined for Queensland ports,” Mr Mitchell said.
“This introduces a different risk profile. Whereas ships that are destined for Queensland ports by and large will conduct crew transfers alongside, vessels that aren’t destined for Queensland ports generally have to find another way of doing that.”
Read the full article here.
