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.
Trump defends Minneapolis federal enforcement, says crime plunged after ‘thousands of criminals’ removed
Far-left group with foreign ties undermining US under guise of protest, report warns
SCOOP: Trump ally Kid Rock jumps into key governor’s race with high-profile endorsement
The world’s top nuclear powers have no arsenal limits, here are the countries with nukes
Affirmative Action Quotas in Question as Female, Minority Pilots Caused Half of Pilot-Error Crashes
The single crushing problem American cattle ranchers wish Trump would fix instead
‘The View’ Under FCC Investigation Over Interview with Texas Dem
‘We Will Pay’: Savannah Guthrie Responds to Kidnapper Demands Via Video
Turning Point USA’s ‘All-American Halftime Show’: Everything you need to know
American Skiers Buried Under Avalanche of Criticism Over Anti-ICE Comments
Super Bowl Sunday: Here are some of the political, social commercials you can expect during the big game
Op-Ed: In a Politically Divided America, Where Does Relocation Fit In?
LA city councilwoman previously backed by DSA running for mayor in primary challenge to former ally Bass
Details on Maine Plane Crash Victims Released: They Were Researching up to $30k-per-Night Destination for Wealthy Travelers
Chief CNN Analyst: Not One Racial Group in America Is Falling for the Dems’ Lies on Voter ID Laws
“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.
