Union inspectors say they were kept off two ships at coal terminals in Newcastle, Australia. The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) said this in a statement on 2 November 2026. The ITF wanted to check the welfare of the crews.
One ship is the bulk carrier Prolin (IMO 9853058). It was at the terminal of the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG). The ITF says NCIG refused its inspector access. The same day, an inspector was also refused on another ship. That ship was at the Port Waratah Coal Services (PWCS) terminal, the statement says. It does not name that ship.
Why the ITF wanted to inspect
The ITF links the Prolin to the International Seafarers' Union (ISU). The ITF says the ISU is a sham union. It says the ISU works with Lanibra, an agency for shipowners. In the ITF's view, their crew agreements lower seafarers' wages and remove protections that real unions win.
A collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a contract on pay and conditions. A union signs it with the shipowner for the crew. The ITF published a long report on the ISU and Lanibra in May 2025.
Inspectors did board a second bulk carrier, the Kibo (IMO 9719331). It was at a berth of the Port of Newcastle, which allowed the visit. The ITF also links this ship to the ISU and Lanibra. It says the Kibo was detained for 10 days in Ghent, Belgium, at its last port, after 21 deficiencies were found. The statement does not say what the inspectors found on board. The ITF has written to the ship's charterer about the risks for the crew.
What the terminal says
NCIG told the Daily Cargo News (DCN) that it cares about seafarer safety and welfare. It said all visitors must follow Australian maritime security law. This includes notice before the visit and the ship master's approval to board.
NCIG said the ITF did not have the master's approval in this case, so it could not allow access. It said it has no legal power to let anyone board a ship without the master's approval. If the ITF has real concerns, it can ask the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to board and investigate, NCIG said. The ISU, Lanibra and PWCS have not commented in the reports we found.
"A sham union turns that principle on its head." Matt Purcell, who leads the ITF campaign against the ISU-Lanibra agreements
What it means for crews
Ask which union signed the CBA on your ship before you sign your contract. Ask for a copy of the CBA and keep it.
Check the ship and the union with the ITF's ship, inspector and union look-up. It shows if a ship has an ITF-approved agreement and how to reach the nearest ITF inspector.
You can contact an ITF inspector yourself by phone, email or message. The look-up page above gives the contacts for each port.
In Australia, you can also complain to AMSA. AMSA can inspect a foreign ship in an Australian port. Its page on MLC complaints explains how. Try the ship's own complaint procedure first if it is safe to do so.
Keep your own records: your contract, pay slips, bank transfers and hours of rest. These help if there is a dispute about wages.
Read how AMSA recently banned the bulk carrier Wooyang Venus for false rest records. Our guide explains what to do if your wages are not paid. Official help lines are on Crewboard's useful links for seafarers.
Cover photo: The bulk carrier Asia Pearl VII moored in Newcastle, Australia, in February 2021. The photo is illustrative and does not show a ship from this story. Photo: VileGecko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources: Maritime Union of Australia and ITF Australian Inspectorate: ITF Inspectorate condemns Newcastle coal terminals over obstruction of seafarer inspections (2 Nov 2026), Daily Cargo News: ITF and coal company at odds over ship inspection (3 Nov 2026), Splash247: Newcastle coal terminals accused of blocking seafarer inspections (3 Nov 2026), ITF: The ISU and Lanibra, a sham trade union undermining the maritime industry (May 2025, PDF), AMSA: Onboard and onshore complaints under the Maritime Labour Convention.
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