AMSA bans bulk carrier Wooyang Venus for 90 days over falsified crew rest records
The Newcastle inspection followed an MLC complaint and was the ship's third detention in under three years
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has detained the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Wooyang Venus and banned her from Australian ports for 90 days, after inspectors found that crew work and rest records had been deliberately falsified to hide excessive hours.
The port state control inspection took place at Newcastle on 29 October, following a complaint under the Maritime Labour Convention. Inspectors found the records did not reflect the hours crew had actually worked, AMSA said on 3 November.
Why did this inspection end in a ban?
It was the third time. AMSA detained the ship in August 2026, when work and rest hours were not being recorded and monitored correctly, and in December 2023, when it found evidence of incorrect records. The 2023 case came from an International Transport Workers' Federation complaint about provisions, hours of rest and bullying allegations on board.
AMSA issued the ban under section 246 of the Navigation Act 2012. It cited the deliberate falsification, the recurrence of materially similar deficiencies, and concerns about how well the owner's and operator's safety management arrangements work.
Under the Convention, owners and operators must meet minimum standards for seafarers' working and living conditions, including hours of work and rest. Accurate records are how a ship shows those minimums are being met and that fatigue is being managed.
"Evidence has shown poor fatigue management can impair judgement, reduce alertness and slow reaction times, increasing the likelihood of errors during navigation, watchkeeping and other critical tasks," said Greg Witherall, AMSA's executive director of maritime safety and environmental compliance.
"Where we find serious or repeated failures to meet those obligations, AMSA will take strong action to protect seafarers and the environment and uphold internationally-agreed standards."
Crewing and fatigue is a named compliance priority in AMSA's National Compliance Plan for 2026-27.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 5 November 2026.
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