Seafarer wage theft on the increase

The Babuza Wisdom has been banned from Australia for 90 days after inspectors discovered a litany of critical defects about the vessel.

Wage theft from impoverished seafarers working on ships visiting the Port of Newcastle had increased over the past three years, the Australian head of the International Transport Federation says.

The ITF and the Maritime Union of Australia launched a week of action in Newcastle on Tuesday as part of a campaign for legislative changes to improve protection of foreign seafarers.