The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued a six-month port ban against the Liberia-flagged, Chinese-owned bulker BBG Wuzhou. The penalty comes after an inspection revealed severe violations of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), including months of unpaid crew wages and substandard living conditions.
AMSA inspectors boarded the 81,895 dwt vessel during a recent call at the Port of Newcastle. The comprehensive inspection uncovered several critical compliance failures aboard the 2016-built ship:
Unpaid Wages: The crew had not been paid for seven months, with withheld wages totaling approximately A49,000).
Poor Living Conditions: Inspectors found insufficient food supplies and a lack of free drinking water for the crew.
Unseaworthiness: The ship was detained for being fundamentally “substandard” and unseaworthy.
Following the detention, the BBG Wuzhou departed Newcastle for Singapore on April 7. AMSA immediately enacted a six-month ban prohibiting the vessel from entering any Australian ports or waters, effective until October 4.
AMSA is utilising this ban to remind maritime employers of their strict obligations under the MLC, which mandates timely wage payments, safe accommodations, adequate rest, and basic welfare support for seafarers.
Greg Witherall, AMSA Acting Executive Director Operations, emphasized the financial severity of ignoring these rules. “Australia has zero tolerance for such conduct. It is unlawful, unethical, and a clear breach of our laws and values,” Witherall stated. “Vessel bans are costly, with some operators facing losses of millions of dollars by being denied access to Australian ports.”
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The BBG Wuzhou marks the second vessel banned by AMSA so far in 2026 for labor violations. Just a month prior, on March 8, the authority issued a six-month ban against another Chinese-owned bulker, the Ocean Bright, after discovering more than US$32,000 in unpaid wages owed to eight crew members.