Yangtze Fortune ship stranded in Portland, Victoria: Bizarre reason carrier can’t leave

A crew of Filipino sailors have been stranded on an abandoned ship off the southwest coast of Victoria for four months and their marine insurance is about to end.

There were originally 36 crew members on the Liberian-flagged container ship Yangtze Fortune when it anchored in Portland on September 28.

She was supposed to take cattle to China, but that trip was canceled after a crack was discovered in her hull.

The federal government recently allowed 19 of the sailors to fly back to the Philippines, lowering the “safe manning” level, while another man had already left.

But the immediate future of the remaining 16 men on board is uncertain as the ship’s insurance expires on January 31 and $250.00 in unpaid wages are owed.

The Yangtze Fortune has been stranded off the coast of Victoria for months.

Without its owners providing supplies to the crew, another imminent date is February 10, when the ship will be sold by court order in an effort to recover debts.

Last month, Australia’s Federal Court ruled that the Chinese owners of the Yangtze Fortune abandoned the ship and its crew and owed a large sum to creditors.

The ship is under the care of a Federal Court Admiralty Constable, someone who takes responsibility for ships when they are subject to court orders.

Another reason the situation needs to be resolved as soon as possible is that the ship has become an obstacle to others hoping to dock in Portland.

With no further help from the owners, the International Transport Workers’ Union (ITF), Portland Seamen’s Mission and The Salvation Army have helped the crew, including throwing a Christmas party for them.

The ITF’s Matt Purcell said the crew were in “reasonable spirits” and were sometimes allowed to leave ship for Portland.

“(But) we don’t know when they will go home, and that must create a great deal of pressure and stress,” he told the outlet. abc.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said international conventions required a ship to have “adequate resources to relocate if the need arises, or to respond to emergency situations”.

Stranded crew members (pictured left and center) receive help from the Transport Workers International Union, the Portland Seamen’s Mission and The Salvation Army.

“International guidelines require both the ship’s flag state and insurers to act in abandonment cases to ensure the continued well-being of the crew on board,” a spokesperson said.

ITF Australia Inspectorate coordinator Ian Bray said some workers’ wages had previously been paid through methods such as increased leave fees.

“We allege that (the ship owner) has been unethically, morally and probably illegally taking from their funds to pay them and that too needs to be replaced,” he said.

His colleague, Mr. Purcell, said that “when the insurance runs out, the Port of Portland and every other port, they won’t want to take them on board because of the problems with the lack of insurance.”

He said that in the case of an accident or one to the ship or crew, after January 31 they will not be covered.

The federal government recently allowed 19 of the sailors (pictured) to fly back to the Philippines, while another man had already left.

Bray said a ship cannot be allowed to be floating on the ocean when no one can pay its bills.

‘I would imagine that AMSA would take the view that it would be anchored and will remain anchored until these issues are resolved. That would be the pragmatic approach,” she said.

Former sailor June Villadolid has been working with the crew of the Yangtze Fortune and said they have probably been told not to speak publicly about what is happening.

He said seafarers are told by the captain or owners not to talk to the media, and that doing so could lead to them being blacklisted and not getting a job in the future.

In July 2018, it was reported that the Yangtze Fortune had more than the allowable number of animal deaths on board during a 20-day voyage from Portland to Ningbo in China.

Of the 2,192 head of cattle on board, 33 died, which is higher than the recommended 1% animal death rate for voyages of more than 10 days.