Bulk carrier owners avoiding Australian ports

[John Arton]

This is on the internet, cannot comment but some of the language used seems pretty damming verdict on Australian seafarers union and Australian maritime safety organisation.
Rgds
J.A.
https://www.maritimebulletin.net/202...-the-shipping/

[happy daze john in oz]

John, the problems can be numerous now for ships entering Australian waters.

If they by chance have to take on an Australian seaman they must pay them under Australian laws, make sit very expensive.

Second, the Maratime Union had gone sop low in membership it had to amalgamate with the CFMEU, now the CFMMEU, one of the most militant unions left.

Knowing this there is little wonder they are not keen on entering Australian ports.

[Ivan Cloherty]

The 1950's and 1960's are re-emerging in another guise, the WWF were the bain of seamen's and owners lives in those eras and any excuse was found to stop work by the WWF on the pretext of bad ships and bad owners, to give stevedores less work for more money and keep Australian ship repairers in business. I was on a British ship less than a year old and they wanted to change all the cargo gear and have the derricks tested, they were told to go elsewhere even by the boss of the stevedore company

[John Arton]

Maiden voyage on a 5 hatch geared bulk carrier, after loading bulk silica sand in Japan, discharged in Newcastle NSW, then round to Wollongong to load steel coils for Europe (France). On arrival the WWF immediately said the hold ladders and the stands for the hatch man did not comply with regulations. Showed him the compliance certificate issued by the head of the WWF when the ship was in the ship building yard saying that ladders etc complied with the regulations, confused he looked at it then suddenly said that since the certificate had been issued some two months previous, the regulations had changed so we were no longer compliant. He gave us the name of a recommended local outfit that could carry out the modification necessary so we phoned them and asked them to come down to measure up and quote for the job, not necessary they said we know what's needed at it will cost $25000, could not get any other outfit to even think of taking on the job so the union recommended outfit got the job which consisted of fitting a mid height platform to the vertical ladder and realignment to fit and an extra horizontal bar and small platform for the hatch man to stand on in order that anyone under a certain height could easily see into the hold and guide the crane driver. We were loading 10 ton cold rolled steel coils and working two hatches daily the most we ever loaded in one day was 130 coils. Every shift seemed to start with a complaint or strike, no hot water in the tea urn in the canteen, train driver bringing the coils to ship side going too fast/not sounding his warning hooter loud or long enough/ not positioning his load in the correct place, exhaust from fork lift in hold used to position the coils not clearing quickly enough, ships hold fans too noisy(this almost got us black listed before sense prevailed). We didn't mind all the hassle and slow loading as the expected one week in port turned out to be over three weeks. We made some good friends amongst the locals and with only half day Saturday and no Sunday work were able to have a couple of nights out in Sydney along with a couple of Barbie's up in the mountains. This was in the early 70's.
Rgds
J.A.

[happy daze john in oz]

John, kit was actions such as those you describe that brought about the demise of the Australian shipping industry.

There was a time when some shipping companies would not take any contract that involved coming into any Australian port.

Now all the shipping is contracted out, the unions shot themselves, and all their members, in the foot by their stupid actions.

[John Arton]

Although not directly related to the above it does seem a bit strange to see an Australian shipyard investing in a USA shipyard in order to increase capacity but I guess that's the way international investment works.
Rgds
J.A.
https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/a...ir%20Services.

[vic mcclymont]

John, not only Australians, BAE has big shipbuilding operation in the States.
Vic

[Red Lead Ted]

Well lads all i can say is did these stringent rules on ships gear being checked out and correct Toppers, Shackles, Runners, Blocks, Strops, And general maintenance or lack of it. Save lives of both stevedores and seaman alike, Surly that is not a bad thing we have all seen wire rope part under the strain strops part Blocks fail shackles part many a time i have witnessed cargo going over the side being discharged Bang it has slammed on the deck with the failure of S W L not being adhered to by whatever means. Health and Safety which wasn't as apparent in the 60s and 70s in most ports around the world the U.K. Included maybe should have in the interest of all and there may well have been less accidental deaths in many ports. Terry.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

I think that anyone who sailed on British ships had a right to complain about the British Seaman's Union, as while I was there it was run by the Shipping Companies through Tom Yates the Secretary, and the seamen had no say. Australia was in eccence a new country and were not going to be pissed about by some old families who run things in Britain. Australian seamen enjoyed the best and why not. Today they have changed the term Personnel to Human resources, just think of that for a minute, people are now a human resource, to be used like cattle. Quite a few who denigrate the union movement in Aus, sure did enjoy the good conditions that it brought, they didn't say no thanks I don't believe in unions.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Very true Des, but sadly of late the Unions are only a shadow of what they were.
CFMMEU is the biggest now and even they have to pull their horns in.

Many companies now use contract labour, this often removes the Union invoelment.

In the 60's about 98% of the work force here in Oz was Unionized, now down to about 12%.