The Guardian 12 December, 2007
Pasha Bulker report highlights FoC concerns
The NSW Maritime report into the grounding of the Pasha Bulker will add weight to calls for a review of the spread of unregulated Flag of Convenience foreign ships off Australia’s coast, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) said last week.
The report, tabled in NSW Parliament, found the grounding at Nobby’s Beach near Newcastle during a storm in June was caused in part by poor seafaring skills.
MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin said the grounding of the Panamanian flagged and Filipino crewed vessel very nearly created an environmental catastrophe.
"The skills of MUA members working in the salvage operation saved Nobby’s Beach, but this report highlights our concerns that the accident should never have occurred.
"Every year more and more of the vessels off our coast are registered in tax havens where ship safety and crew training standards are far below Australian minimums."
He said there was no substitute for local knowledge and in the case of the Pasha Bulker, the ship’s captain just didn’t understand the conditions.
"The MUA has a broader agenda to work with the new Minister for Transport Anthony Albanese to ensure the long-term viability of Australian coastal shipping and improve the regulation of foreign vessels in Australian waters.
"In particular, the MUA is seeking a ban on unregulated foreign ships transporting security-sensitive cargo such as ammonium nitrate into Australian ports.
"More broadly, we want to see the current shipping regulations tightened to more effectively restrict all unregulated FOC ships’ in Australian ports."
He said the Pasha Bulker was a wake up call and that we ignore the report at our peril.