XIN DA LIAN

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More than 60 Melbourne dockers have been stood down for refusing to unload ship from China

More than 60 Melbourne dockers have been stood down for refusing to unload the 'Xin Da Luan' carrying medical supplies from China. The ship docked at the DP World terminal at the Port of Melbourne in the night of March 31, 2020, after leaving Shanghai on March 17. The Maritime Union of Australia said the vessel is in breach of the federal government's 14-day coronavirus quarantine period after visiting a Taiwanese port on March 19. Shaving two days off the quarantine period was a risk to workers and the community. The union's members who refused to unload the vessel over concerns about the risk of the coronavirus were stood down. DP World Australia chief operating officer Andrew Adam says the ship was cleared to berth by the Australian Border Force. "Any crew members aboard a vessel that has been to mainland China must have been at sea for 14 days before they are allowed to dock in Australia. The union is not allowed to unilaterally declare a vessel unsafe. They are not allowed to create their own set of rules," he said in a statement on April 1. The company said it was following the strict rules, including advice from the ABF on March 20 that crew on commercial vessels must wear personal protective equipment in public spaces on the ship while non-crew members are on board The vessel was believed to be carrying toilet rolls, surgical masks, shoe coverings, chemicals for the manufacture of soap and detergent, surgical gowns, laboratory coats, hair nets, tinned food and white goods. After 22 wharfies refused and were stood down in the night of March 31, another 40 followed suit the next morning. The state opposition asked the state government to intervene to get the goods off the vessel.