Australia bans bulker over repeatedly falsifying records

A Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier was detained and banned from Australian ports for 90 days, after Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) inspectors found crew work and rest records had been deliberately falsified to mask excessive hours worked.

On 29 October 2026, AMSA conducted a port State control inspection of the vessel in Newcastle following a Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) complaint and found that work and rest records had been falsified and did not reflect the hours actually worked by crew onboard.

Crewing and fatigue is a key compliance priority for AMSA, as outlined in the AMSA National Compliance Plan 2026-27.

As stated, the vessel has previously been detained twice by AMSA where falsified hours of work and rest were a contributing factor: In August 2026 after it found work and rest hours were not recorded and monitored correctly, and in December 2023, when it identified evidence of incorrect work and rest records.

This story was originally published by Shipping Telegraph. Read the full story at Shipping Telegraph →