Farstad Shipping has been advised that our Australian vessel operations will be affected by a two day stoppage of work on 17th and 18th November brought on by the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) which covers ratings and catering staff. The nature of the stoppage will potentially affect 17 of the 20 Farstad vessels working on the Australian coast. The extent to which each vessel may be affected is in turn dependant on the safety parameters concerning each vessel's operation to give priority to safety.

The stoppage is in connection with the review of Farstad Shipping's agreement with the union which usually operates for a period of three years. The Maritime Union of Australia has chosen direct action instead of voluntary conciliation or arbitration as proposed by Farstad Shipping. The MUA has negotiations running concurrently with 12 companies and the key outstanding issues could result in industrial action being rolled out across the industry.

The financial impact on Farstad Shipping is depending on the actual number of vessels being involved. A potential loss of revenue in the range of NOK 3-4 million per day might be expected as a maximum. The initial action is for 48 hours however the MUA might come back to Farstad Shipping as part of its industry wide campaign.

Tags: Farstad Shipping