THE Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) found no deficiencies during yesterday’s inspection of Carnival Cruise Line’s (CCL) Carnival Encounter (pictured), after the regulatory agency boarded her following whistleblower concerns regarding poor crew conditions onboard.
Investigators boarded Encounter as she was docked in Darwin to inquire into claims crews were forced to live in overcrowded conditions, and have limited access to safe drinking water, among other allegations.
CCL promised its cooperation with AMSA in a statement provided to Cruise Weekly yesterday, saying it had “nothing to hide”, while criticising the Maritime Union of Australia, which it has been in a months-long dispute with.
“As we stated emphatically at the time, Carnival has nothing to hide; the outcome of AMSA’s inspection – with no followup action required – reinforces that fact,” a CCL spokesperson said.
“As we have said before, the Maritime Union of Australia is making blatant claims to launch a membership drive and apparently likes to use vulgar and lame tactics to get attention.
“The Maritime Union continues to use our crew as props in an ongoing attempt to increase its membership – their claims should be viewed in that context.”
Last month, the Maritime Union alleged that crews on the cruise line’s ships were exploited, and earned just a fraction of the national minimum wage.
CCL described these claims as “unfounded”, saying its wages met and often exceeded International Maritime Organization labour standards.
Encounter has since departed Darwin, continuing on her one-way trip from Brisbane to Singapore, where she will enter dry dock. MS
