ATHENS: The troubled Teekay tanker in Tasmania, the Alexander Spirit, has again been delayed from departing Devonport for Singapore.
The ship was due to leave on July 14 but this has been pushed back to the morning of July 16. Teekay is struggling to find a cook for the vessel to meet minimum crewing requirements. At least four crew members have left the ship due to stress-related health problems, the Maritime Union of Australia’s (MUA) has said.
The Alexander Spirit (40,100 dwt, built 2007), which is on charter to Caltex, was originally scheduled to leave for Singapore from Devonport in Tasmania on July 3. The 36 crew onboard went on strike and refused to sail after being told they will be made redundant on arrival and replaced by foreign workers. The strike gathered support from local politicians and trade unions.
A tribunal ruled last Friday, however, that the industrial action was illegal and the ship had to head to Singapore as planned.
