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China’s escalating trade war with Australia has left dozens of coal carriers stranded at sea for months, their international crew trapped in distressing conditions. So who is responsible for the seafarers’ welfare?
By
Anna Krien.
Crew on the deck of the Anastasia.
Credit: Supplied
A message from Virendrasinh Bhosale pops up on my phone: “Free, I feel free like a bird. Soon I’ll embrace my son in my arms.” Bhosale is one of 23 Indian sailors stranded onboard the
Jag Anand, which has been anchored in Chinese waters for six months with Australian coal in its hull. The bulk carrier was finally given the green light to divert to Japan for a crew change on January 10. For many of the men, the seafarers caught in the crosshairs of China’s trade stoush with Australia, it’s the first time they will be able to stand on solid earth in 21 months.
Catch-22 keeps mariners caught in geopolitical storm
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Desperate mariners on ships stranded for months by China s effective ban on Australian coal imports are being prevented from leaving by a stand-off between a complex network of shipping firms.
While the coal ships cannot unload in China, a catch-22 in maritime law allows importers to insist the ships not take their cargo elsewhere on pain of forcibly arresting the ship as though it were a person.
Ships have continued to unload coal from other countries at Chinese ports even as those from Australia languish.
Credit:AP
One shipowner, the Mediterranean Shipping Company, said it has repeatedly requested permission to divert its ship Anastasia, which is stuck at the Chinese port of Caofeidian, to another country to change crew but has been rebuffed.