Perth - Australian body Shipping Australia and the country's maritime union, the MUA, are at loggerheads over a new crew visa system due to be implemented on January 1.
The Maritime Crew Visa (MCV) is a document for foreign sea crew that will replace the Special Purpose Visa. The visa requires no application and is automatically granted to foreign crew when they arrive in Australia on a non-military ship. Foreign crew have been able to apply for the MCVs since July 1 this year.
The Maritime Union of Australia has claimed that checks under the new visa system are not as stringent as the immigration checks that are applied for other visas issued to foreign visitors.
An MUA spokesman said that foreign crews needed only to apply for a visa online, quoting their passport number, and it was usually issued within three days. The MUA spokesman claimed foreign ships carrying dangerous cargo such as ammonium nitrate were therefore unregulated and posed a security risk.
Llew Russell, chief executive of Shipping Australia, said: "Of the 80,000-plus visas issued already, no problems have arisen as a result of this full security check.
"The MUA claim the fact that such cargo is carried by vessels registered in open registries, such as Liberia, adds to the security risk because of lax safety requirements and few minimum working conditions. It was claimed that the US would not allow such vessels to trade on their coast."
Russell said the MUA "well knows that the Jones Act in the US restricts carriage of their domestic trade to US registered vessels".
"Furthermore, registries such as Liberia are more responsible in fulfilling the requirements of a flag state than a number of national registries in terms of implementing many International Maritime Organisation vessel safety conventions."
Australia's Department of Imm-igration said applying for the MCV requires a formal visa application process to enable security checking, "thereby bringing the arrangements for foreign crew into line with other temporary entrants to Australia".
Immigration authorities said foreign crew who fail to meet the new requirements may be restricted on board the vessel. The operator, master, charterer, owner and agent may also be liable for a fine of US$4,457 for each person who is refused immigration clearance.
The MUA has hailed a deal bet- ween shipowners and unions that will see a levy support seafarer jobs in developed countries.
The deal, brokered through the International Bargaining Forum of unions and shipowners, imposes a $10 per month levy per seafarer on over 3,500 ships employing more than 100,000 crew. ]
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