Pariah Containership Detained in NZ

The troubled German-owned, Liberia-flagged containership 'Vega Auriga', which was last week banned by Australia from entering its ports for three months, has now arrived in New Zealand, where it has been detained, informs ITF Seafarers.

The ship – described by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority as a "repeat offender" for breaches of seafarer welfare and ship maintenance – was detained in Tauranga after Maritime New Zealand found 14 deficiencies, with 11 to be rectified before it can leave.


However, the Filipino crew have now received some of their back pay due; ITF inspector Grahame McLaren reports that they have received their June and July wages, although pay for August was still outstanding.



Maritime Union of New Zealand national secretary Joe Fleetwood pointed out that the Australian authorities had the power to act more strongly than their New Zealand counterparts as Australia was a signatory of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). He called on the New Zealand government to get "up to speed" as a signatory of the MLC; "high standards are not an optional extra, they are a basic requirement.”