• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile

  • CORONAVIRUS
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • REGIONS
    • Asia Pacific
    • Canada
    • China
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East/Africa
    • North America
  • THINK TANK
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Supply-Chain Risk Grows as Weary Crews Halt Ships and Clog Ports

Supply-Chain Risk Grows as Weary Crews Halt Ships and Clog Ports

Ship Crews Stuck in Lockdown Strain Global Supply Chains
August 9, 2020
Bloomberg

A new risk to global supply chains is emerging as exhausted seafarers stuck offshore for months halt work, a breaking point caused by restrictions on crew changes amid coronavirus precautions.

Three vessels are idled in Australia after crews who worked beyond their contracts demanded to be repatriated, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation. The organization’s national coordinator in Australia, Dean Summers, said he is discussing options for about four other ships, without elaborating.

As of Friday, the Conti Stockholm, Ben Rinnes and Unison Jasper vessels are idle at the ports of Fremantle, Geelong and Newcastle, respectively, the union said in a statement. The three ships are “just the tip of the iceberg,” Summers said in the statement, adding that crews are within their rights to refuse to sail.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has made crew changes extremely difficult, and we’re starting to see fleet inefficiencies emerge,” Braemar ACM Shipbroking Ltd. said in a report dated Aug. 6. “A huge number of seafarers on merchant ships have been unable to disembark once their contracts have ended, facing excessive times at sea and away from home.”

In addition to Pacific routes becoming less efficient for bulk carriers, there’s been a pickup in shipowners opting for lengthier deviations to places such as Kochi in southern India, Braemar said, referring to merchant ships that transport cargo such as grains, coal and iron ore. Atlantic supply doesn’t seem to have been impacted too heavily, it added.

According to the International Chamber of Shipping, about 250,000 seafarers are stuck at sea at increasing risk of physical and mental exhaustion. This could have an impact on safety as fatigue raises the risk of human error and accidents, said Ralph Leszczynski, head of research at shipbroker Banchero Costa & Co.

“Individual members of crews might have important personal reasons to want to be repatriated as soon as possible, but currently the costs and logistical challenges to send them home are enormous,” Leszczynski said.

Of the three vessels idled in Australia, the Unison Jasper was hauling alumina and the Ben Rinnes was chartered by Cargill Inc. to transport soy, the ITF. said. The Conti Stockholm is a container vessel.

“We are frustrated to learn of crew members being over contract on the Ben Rinnes, which is unfortunately one of many such cases at the moment,” a spokesperson for Cargill said, adding that the firm recognizes the challenges that many crew are facing and is working to try and repatriate them.

Many on the Ben Rinnes have been aboard for longer than the legal maximum, including one crew member who has been on the ship for more than 17 months, ITF said. The crew signed five-month extensions on top of their nine-month tour after the vessel owner promised to repatriate them, the union said.

The Conti Stockholm is in Fremantle while a solution is being is worked out, a spokesman from the port said. The Port of Geelong confirmed the Ben Rinnes is docked at a berth and said the crew is in “discussions with the relevant agencies including the shipping agent and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority around crew changes.”

The Unison Jasper is in the port of Newcastle, however its status is a matter for the AMSA, a spokesperson for the port said.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Coronavirus Logistics Global Gateways Global Logistics Ocean Transportation Transportation & Distribution Global Supply Chain Management HR & Labor Management SC Security & Risk Mgmt Asia Pacific
KEYWORDS Asia Pacific HR & Labor Management Ocean Transportation SC Security & Risk Mgmt
  • Related Articles

    As FDA Shutdown Drags On, Supply Chain Risk Grows

    Ship Crews Stuck in Lockdown Strain Global Supply Chains

    Labor Abuse Allegations Tie Up Ships in Australia Ports

Bloomberg

As Retail Sales Improved, Inventories Rose Less in February Than Expected

More from this author

Wake up to Coronavirus Updates and the latest Supply Chain News!

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • Coronavirus-watch-Armada

    Virus Update: U.S. States Get Boost in Doses; Global Cargo Jam Could Last Into 2022

    Coronavirus
  • Robotic automation

    Autonomous Supply Chains Are on the Horizon

    Coronavirus
  • Shipping Logjam

    U.S. Retailers See Millions in Sales Delays Amid Shipping Logjam

    Coronavirus
  • Walmart

    Walmart Embraces a Local Fulfillment Model for Grocery

    Logistics
  • How Can E-Commerce Retailers Compete?

    Smaller E-Tailers Weigh Pros and Cons of Fulfillment by Amazon

    Logistics

Digital Edition

Scb feb 2021 lg

2021 Supply Chain Management Resource Guide

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • Remote Implementation: A Dose of the Right Medicine for B2B Pharmacy

  • LSP Saves Customer $1.5 Million a Year With MPO Global Inbound Management

  • Auto Supplier Wows Key Client Using riskmethods Supply Chain Savvy

  • Integrating Shipping and Compliance Saves Conglomerate Millions

  • How a Consumer Goods Giant Upped Its On-Time Delivery Performance

Visit Our Sponsors

6 River Systems ArcBest Armada
aThingz BluJay Burris Logistics
DSC Logistics DCSA (Digital Container Shipping Association) DHL Resilience360
Genpact Geodis GEP
GreyOrange Honeywell Intelligrated Infor
Inmar Kibo Commerce Logility
Magnitude Software MPO Old Dominion
Oliver Wight OpenSky Paccurate
Ports America Purolator QAD Precision
Red Classic Riskmethods Snapfulfil
TGW Systems Transportation Insights Watson Land Company
Westfalia Technologies Workjam Yang Ming
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2021 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing