Australian maritime authorities have banned a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier, WOOYANG VENUS, from entering Australian ports for 90 days after discovering that its crew working and rest-hour records had been deliberately falsified to conceal excessive working hours.
The ban follows an inspection conducted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) at the Port of Newcastle on 29 October, following a complaint lodged under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). Inspectors found that the vessel’s records did not accurately reflect the hours worked by crew members.
The latest action marks the vessel’s third detention in Australian waters in less than three years, following repeated breaches involving crew working hours and rest periods. According to AMSA, WOOYANG VENUS was detained in August 2026 after inspectors discovered that crew working and rest hours were neither properly recorded nor adequately monitored.
The vessel had also been detained in December 2023 over similar irregularities. The 2023 detention followed a complaint by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), which prompted an inspection that uncovered additional crew welfare concerns, including poor-quality food provisions, falsified working-hour records and allegations that the ship’s master had physically assaulted a crew member.
AMSA’s 2023 Maritime Labour Convention annual report detailed the findings, noting that the vessel’s operator subsequently submitted a corrective action plan covering crew repatriation, improved food supplies and additional training on compliance with working and rest-hour requirements.
However, the latest inspection suggests that the corrective measures failed to prevent further breaches. AMSA Executive Director of Maritime Safety and Environmental Compliance, Greg Witherall, warned that falsifying records designed to protect seafarers from excessive working hours undermines crew welfare and maritime safety.
He said poor fatigue management could impair judgement, reduce alertness and slow reaction times, increasing the risk of collisions, groundings and serious injuries. Witherall noted that fatigue posed particular dangers during navigation, watchkeeping and other safety-critical operations.