Alexander Spirit to Head for Singapore on Tuesday

zoom The fuel tanker Alexander Spirit is scheduled to depart from Devonport, north-west Tasmania, to Singapore on Tuesday. The protesting 36 crew members of the fuel tanker were supposed to set sail today, however the departure was pushed back for tomorrow following meetings between the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and the ships operator Teekay, ABC News reports. The journey was postponed as at least four crew members left the ship due to stress-related health problems and the tanker needed to meet the minimum crewing requirements in order to finally set sail. As informed, at least one of the crew members is yet to return to the ship. The departure order was made final last week when the Full Bench of Australia’s Fair Work Commission upheld FWCs order to crew members to return back to work, confirming that the crew’s industrial action was illegal and dismissing MUAs appeal. The ship’s operator, Teekay Australia, asked for FMC’s intervention in the case, as MUA claimed that some of the crew members were under mental strain rendering them unfit for the journey. The oil tanker has been in Devonport for around 10 days after the Australian crew refused to sail the vessel when they learnt they would be sacked upon arrival in Singapore. The crew was contracted until 2019 and Caltex has cited changed trading arrangements as the reason for dismissal. World Maritime News Staff