(Image: NQ)
A car and passenger ferry built to operate a route between Australia and Tasmania had its crew struck by illness during its seven-week voyage from Scotland and is now locked in a pay dispute.
Crew members aboard the new Spirit of Tasmania V were struck by a severe outbreak of shigella gastroenteritis during the vessel's delivery voyage from Scotland to Australia earlier this year, leaving much of the crew seriously ill.
According to the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (AIMPE), the outbreak began after fresh food was loaded onto the ship in Cape Town, South Africa.
By the time the vessel reached Mauritius, most of the crew had fallen ill, with some requiring hospital treatment.
The union says the sickness outbreak left only two of the ship's six engineers fit for duty at various points, forcing them to work alone on extended 12-hour shifts instead of the usual two-person, eight-hour watch system. AIMPE argues these engineers are entitled to a "shorthanded" allowance because they worked longer hours with reduced staffing.
The ferry set off from its berth at the Port of Leith (Image: Press Association Images/Press Association Images)
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The engineers' employer, ASP Ships Group, rejected the claim, reportedly arguing the vessel's highly automated systems meant it qualified as an Unmanned Machinery Space (UMS) ship and did not require constant engine-room watches. AIMPE disputes that interpretation and says the company should compensate affected workers.
The allowance claim is estimated at $10,000 to $20,000. ASP Ships Group confirmed to ABC News that crew members fell ill during the voyage but said sufficient personnel were available to safely continue to Australia.
The dispute is now before the Fair Work Commission, with a conference hearing scheduled for October 23.
The controversy comes as TT-Line prepares to put its new ferries, Spirit IV and Spirit V, into service on the Bass Strait route from October 31.
The illness-hit ship's sister, Spirit of Tasmania IV, was the first of the two 1,800-passenger ferries that will sail on Australian operator TT-Line Company’s Spirit of Tasmania service between Geelong, Melbourne and Devonport on Tasmania’s north coast.
The new vessels, Spirit IV and Spirit V, are due to enter service at the end of October, replacing the ageing Spirit I and Spirit II, which have operated for almost 25 years.
Both ships docked in Scotland after being built in Finland, with Spirit IV languishing at the Port of Leith in Edinburgh for months, costing the Tasmanian taxpayer £22,000 per week.
We reported last year that the ferry scandal threatened to sink the Tasmanian government as the ship became something of a tourist attraction in Edinburgh, despite its status as a national embarrassment Down Under.
Ian Stirling, who founded a whisky distillery right next to where the Spirit of Tasmania is docked, told the Guardian his long-term nautical neighbour has delivered patrons, with a side of political drama.
“I’ve bumped into several customers who’ve come to our top floor bar specifically to get a good view of it,” he said.