Upwards of 60 Australian longshoremen were stood down Tuesday after they refused to unload a container ship from China.
The Xin Da Lian docked at the DP World terminal in the Victoria state capital of Melbourne after leaving Shanghai on March 17. Union organizers claim the ship may be contaminated with coronavirus and should instead be held in quarantine.
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) says the vessel is in breach of the federal government’s 14-day coronavirus quarantine period after visiting a Taiwanese port on March 19 during its voyage Down Under, local outlet News.com reports.
Workers say shaving two days off the quarantine period is “a risk to workers and the community” and those who refused to unload the vessel over concerns about the risk of the coronavirus were sent home.
DP World Australia chief operating officer Andrew Adam says the ship was cleared to berth by the Australian Border Force.
Police make arrest after gunfire during California high school football game leaves 1 dead
Connecticut police officers shot, suspect killed after attempted arrest sparks hectic chase
‘Will Come Back to Bite You’: Top Official Asked Fauci for Vaccine Side Effect Study – Email
Breaking: Judge Slaps Down Karmelo Anthony’s Bid for New Trial
Nancy Kassebaum Baker, trailblazing GOP senator who broke barriers for women in Congress, dead at 94
Judge denies Karmelo Anthony new-trial bid after ex-lawyers detail dispute that kept him from testifying
Federal judge blasts Rubio’s 75-country visa freeze as ‘Orwellian,’ strikes down policy
Nashville hospital medication error leaves at least 1 patient paralyzed after routine surgery, 3 others hurt
Kalshi and prediction markets experience explosive growth, but also new legal challenges
FBI asked ‘Sammy the Bull’ if ex-Gambino mob prosecutor Comey knew meaning of ’86’: court filing
The Will of 100: Trump’s SAVE America Act sidelined after Senate unanimously agreed to August exit
New Reagan Movie Hits Theaters, Earns Big Thumbs Up from Audiences
Watch: Emotional Kurt Busch Reveals His Final Words with His Brother Kyle
USPS publishes rule to block mail-in ballots from states that don’t provide voter lists
Karmelo Anthony’s Legal Team Smears Austin Metcalf in Desperate Attempt to Overturn Conviction
“Any crew members aboard a vessel that has been to mainland China must have been at sea for 14 days before they are allowed to dock in Australia,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The union is not allowed to unilaterally declare a vessel unsafe. They are not allowed to create their own set of rules.”
MUA national assistant secretary Warren Smith said it didn’t want to see a repeat of Sydney’s Ruby Princess cruise ship debacle where the vessel was allowed to send all its passengers ashore without screening after it had docked.
“The largest cluster of COVID-19 cases in Australia … was the result of inadequate measures put in place for the arrival of ships,” he said in a statement as reported by local outlet 7News.
“What’s the difference with this ship?”
Story cited here.
