Pandora's Box

Unsecured.
Despite protests from the workers at East Swanson Dock, the
boxes were not lashed. The gang were still working securing the
boxes when the order came that the MSC Krittikawas set to sail
regardless.
“We had two to three bays to go – around 13 boxes, five
high,” said Sammy Puskic, MUA waterside worker. “Only two
were lashed on one bay. It’s dangerous. Who knows what was in
the containers? It could have been chemicals that would have
contaminated the bay. We said we were not prepared to leave the
ship unfinished. But we wereordered off by the supervisor and
the ship’s captain.”
Sam and his workmates followed the order, but notified the
union. They reported a full bay was not completed but the six
lashers were ordered to cease all work and disembark.
“It put lives at risk,” said Sammy. “If there’s rough seas and the
crew is trying to lash containers five high, you could end up with
aman overboard. But some of those shipping owners don’t give
ashit. A bloke goes overboard and they just pick up someone
else at the next port. Who knows what goes on?”
“The end of the day, lives are at risk,” said one worker who
asked not to be named. “Dockworkers’ lives, seafarers’ lives and
the lives of people in the harbour. If the ship gets a nice big jerk
from the tug, boxes can come off. If you are going out the Heads
it gets quite rough and you can get them coming off there too.
Boxes can fall into the water, onto the wharf or onto recreational
boats in the harbour.”
Or worse, you can end up with an environmental catastrophe,
like when containers of ammonia nitrate came off the Pacific
Venturerin March 2009 in heavy seas, putting a hole in the hull
of the ship and spilling 30 tonnes of heavy oil 20 kilometres
along our coastline.
“It’s a Pandora’s box,” he said. “Ships sailing with containers
loose on deck are dangerous – to dock workers, seafarers, the
public who use the harbour and to our environment. We had
lashers on board ready to secure the last bay and they were
instructed to get off the ship – they had no choice.”
The International Transport Workers’ Federation has long
demanded that lashing work be done in port by trained workers.
But ship owners often attempt to save money and time by sailing
out of the harbour, then getting crew to secure the cargo at sea.
So when the Krittikasailed into the port of Nelson in New
Zealand, the local union took action. At the time MUNZ was
holding its national conference with international guests from
the US West Coast, Australia and Europe. The Krittikasat in
the harbour for the day, while the world’s dockworkers and the
local ITF representative made their point. “It again demostrates
the importance of the international dock workers movement,”
MUA National Secretaryand ITF Dock Workers Chair, Paddy Crumlin told conference.
“I was there as an MUA
delegate to the conference,”
said Dave Schleibs. “Bobby
Patchett rang me to let me
know the ship was coming
in. I spoke to Gary Parsloe
and Russel Mayne. Ray
Familathe, ILWU was there
from the States. We visited
the ship. The master gave his
full commitment that
seafarers would not be doing
the work again and
stevedoring went ahead.”
“It’s bad enough lashing on
the dock let alone open
ocean,” said one Melbourne
worker. “The instability is
incredible – lifting up three
high bars when the ship’s
moving. Seafarers have got a
tough job; let’s not make it
any tougher. Dockworkers
aretrained to do the work
and want to do it safely.”