Grain ship departs Australia for RI

Grain ship departs Australia for RI

SYDNEY (Reuter): Disruption to Australian commodity exports
from Maritime Union of Australia bans on Indonesian ships and
cargoes appears to be less than feared after the sailing of
grains carrier Bogasari Empat from Fremantle yesterday.

The Port of Fremantle said yesterday the 32,500 ton vessel set
sail for Indonesia at 8.15 a.m. West Coast time (00:15 GMT).

A union official told Reuters the ship had been delayed from
leaving the port by between 12 and 15 hours as part of an ongoing
protest against the arrest of two independent labor leaders in
Indonesia.

But the official, Ross Storer, international transport
director of the union, said there were no other actions planned
for Western Australia at this time.

A shipping source in Darwin also told Reuters that livestock
vessels bound for Indonesia had not been delayed by the union
bans.

"Nothing at all," said the source, who asked not to be named.

The Murray Express departed for Indonesia with a cargo of
livestock on Wednesday night and the Charolais Express was
leaving for Indonesia with a livestock cargo yesterday, he said.

Maritime Union of Australia official Terry Buck said on
Thursday that a container vessel due in Fremantle next week would
be hit by bans while a cattle vessel had been held up in Darwin
since Wednesday.

Australian commodity exports which it was feared would be
disrupted by the union bans include wheat, livestock, refined
petroleum, cotton, aluminum and steel.

The union earlier this week announced that it would impose
rolling bans of up to 24 hours on ships bound for Indonesia to
protest the arrest of two independent labor leaders in Indonesia.