Shore leave denied

Seafarers will no longer be allowed to disembark ships for shore leave when docking at Pilbara Ports amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Since the start of April, new measures including the ban on shore leave, physical contact-free mooring and increased vetting by Australian Border Force for any international vessel before berthing have been introduced. Shore leave is defined as the period during which a sailor is allowed to take leave from the ship while the vessel they are working on is docked in the port. It has been a hotly contested issue for many years among the seafaring community, many believe it is not a luxury but an essential break from a work environment they are cooped up in for sometimes months at a time. “Given the State of Emergency that has been declared, the local authorities, working with Australian Border Force, have decided that shore leave will not be granted to the crew of any vessel that arrives in any of PPA’s ports,” a statement released by the Pilbara Ports Authority said. “PPA will continue to have regular meetings with the Seafarers Centre, Australian Border Force and the local police to monitor the situation for crew members.” Community pressure pertaining to the vessels, many of which come from China, had mounted in recent weeks, something Town of Port Hedland commissioner Fred Riebeling said was disappointing. “It’s sad these seafarers now have to come from China and go back without getting off the boat, I think if people actually looked into it you’d find a lot haven’t been getting off in China because of what’s happening, they’re probably exhausted,” he said. “I think other groups are a greater threat to the spread of coronavirus, like travellers over Easter. They hold a much greater risk than seafarers who have basically been in isolation for months. Unfortunately, there were some members of our community who started to question the presence of anyone who looked Chinese in public — that’s just not on.”