Spare a thought at Christmas for the poor crew of the Yangtze Fortune. Just like the cargo they carry, these men are at the mercy of this greedy (and progressively precarious) industry.

The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) Australian Inspectorate Coordinator, Ian Bray, said that the more than 30 crew members from the Phillipines had been abandoned by their employer on the stranded Yangtze Fortune. Shipboard documentation shows that the crew received only one third of what they were owed in October, and the crew’s wages payments in both September and August were made using monies set aside for workers’ leave entitlements and the company’s provident fund.

ITF Australia’s Assistant Coordinator, Matt Purcell said that five members of the crew had already clocked up eight months aboard the vessel and were desperate to return home to their families. “These vulnerable, exploited crew face the prospect of spending months longer aboard this ship in dreadful conditions just to get what’s already owed to them, or the choice of returning home after 8 or 9 months away with nothing to show for it,” he said.

Discussions with the crew manager, ship owner and the Flag State have revealed that the company holds little hope of trading out of its financial problems. The crews are at the mercy of the market and will only be paid their full entitlement if the proceeds of sale cover the company’s debts to creditors and the total unpaid wages bill.

Ian Bray said that the Yangtze Fortune is representative of a broader problem in the livestock shipping industry where crews go unpaid and ships operate on the precipice of insolvency.“We believe there is an epidemic of borderline insolvency amongst the operators of these livestock ships as they repeatedly feature among the worst cases in our inspections around Australia and internationally,” Mr Bray said.

Yep, where animal welfare problems exist, human rights issues are usually not far away.

Barkly Pearl expelled by AMSA after being found too deficient to enter Australia. Gulf Livestock 1 insolvent/sunk.  Yangtze Harmony arrested in Singapore. Now Yangtze Fortune arrested in Australia. The pack of cards????

Trade Winds reports that  the Yangtze Fortune, a second livestock carrier managed by Dalian-based Accord Ship Management has been arrested, this time in Australia by the Singapore arm of Danish bunker supplier Dan-Bunkering. Court records indicate that the 11,670-gt Yangtze Fortune (built 2005) was arrested at an anchorage off Portland in New South Wales (NSW? surely Victoria - VALE note) over a bunker bill dispute. Australian livestock exporter UMMS Projects and Livestock and produce exporter Australian Global Exports have both filed caveats against the lifting of the arrest against the ship.

VALE is relieved that this ship with its litany of infrastructure problems that caused so much animal welfare suffering (which was reported over and over and over again to Dept of Ag - who predictably did nothing), is finally off the scene - good riddance!

Australia’s independent live export monitoring program has weakened significantly since resuming from a Covid-related pause. The Guardian reported that Senate estimates heard last month that just five observers had been sent on ships between May and September. Yet during  that period, there were a total of 85 live export voyages, 38 of which were eligible for independent monitoring. Eleven of the 38 eligible ships went to China, where ongoing Covid restrictions prevented observers from boarding. Others reasons were that there was “insufficient cabin space” or that “there isn’t space available, because something is happening on the vessel”, ....most convenient it would seem with any excuse of "something" being good enough.

Anyhow, 3/5 IO Summaries are up - 2 were seemingly perfect cattle voyages, albeit on one ship, a stockperson couldnt diagnose most of the causes of death (no surprises, they dont have vet training and Dept has ignored VALE's request for a vet on every ship made now for 10 years). However, what is worse is the Depts assessment and responses of observations on the Al Messilah - up to 5% of sheep with open mouth panting but that was OK because if the sheep were scared (ie with humans coming close), they shut their mouths for a while....really???? did no-one in the Dept have to study any fundamentals of animal behaviour (not to mention pathophysiology of heat stress)?? So its same old, same old, with Dept cover up or incompetence and... heat stress occurring in May as predicted by the AVA Report in 2018 - sheep shouldnt be sailing between May and October!

An ABC investigation has revealed the owner of a ship that sank in a typhoon two years ago, killing 41 people, had repeated safety concerns flagged by maritime authorities and may have been operating while insolvent, according to auditors. However for all the investigation, there is still no official report available from Panama into the tragedy and still no answers (despite the Chief Officer surviving!) as to why the captain decided to run the typhoon whilst all others ships sheltered. The  tragedy for the family of the sailors, stockmen and the Australian vet is that they still have no explanations..just loss and more airing of the typically dirty laundry of this filthy trade.

The photos reveal a rusty old ship. The videos reveal it was no better condition onboard than externally. A Deloitte financial report in late September 2020, shows the company was likely in no better shape than the ship and may have been insolvent at the time of the tragedy. And all this is from the business that our farmers, Ag Depts and governments spruik as the being the best regulated in the world. Sure it is...but clearly the bar hasnt been set very high.