Maritime Union of Australia
A maritime pollution incident in Port Phillip Bay this week, involving diesel spilling overboard during refuelling operations, appears to have been caused by the use of inexperienced foreign seafarers who had been flown into Australia to replace the vessel’s local crew.
The incident occurred when the new crew were attempting to refuel the MMA Coral, an offshore supply ship operated by MMA Offshore, for the first time after replacing the Australian crew last week.
Authorities, including the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Environment Protection Authority, and Port of Melbourne, are investigating the spill, which occurred shortly after 11am on Wednesday.