Japanese-owned car carrier Metis Leader has been arrested in Australia for not changing its crew. A number of seafarers on the Panamanian-flagged vessel have been working aboard the vessel in excess of the 11 months maximum permitted under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). On Oct. 1st, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority resumed the enforcement of the MLC requirements on maximum allowed periods for seafarers to remain at sea, which in many countries has been semi-suspended in order to keep global trade operating. Unfortunately, logistical and regulatory difficulties when a ship gets into port continue to plague the crew change processes.
