Published: 18 May 2017
The Coroner has delayed the release of her findings into mysterious deaths on board the MV Sage Sagittarius.
In 2012, the Flag of Convenience (FOC) ship’s chief cook and chief engineer died in highly suspicious circumstances off the Australian coast. A company official, sent by the ship owners to investigate, was found dead on board once it docked back in Japan.
The Coronial Inquiry covers 2 of the 3 deaths on board the Japanese owned, Panamanian flagged coal carrier. The final fatality was beyond the scope of the Australian inquest.
“The ITF has consistently argued the environment created by the dodgy FOC system of ship deregulation contributed to the three men’s deaths,” ITF Australian Coordinator Dean Summers said.
“We will be particularly interested in what the Coroner has to say about the FOC System which Australia now completely relies on for our domestic trade and fuel security.
“The triple unexplained deaths in 2012 on board the ship, trading between Newcastle and Japan, sparked a federal police investigation and subsequent Senate Inquiry.
“Last week, the Federal Government effectively dismissed all of the senate FOC inquiry’s recommendations. This ignores Australian Border Force’s warnings of national security threats and encourages future exploitation of foreign workers like those on BP and Caltex coastal tankers working for $1.25 per hour. “
