19 C
Hamburg
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Home News Svitzer's tug crew lockout threatens to cripple operations at Australian ports

Svitzer’s tug crew lockout threatens to cripple operations at Australian ports

Australian container ports are facing a threat of shutdowns and supply chain disruptions after A.P. Moller-Maersk-owned Svitzer, which provides tug boat crews, announced an indefinite lockout from Friday (18 November).

The planned action is an escalation of protracted wage agreement disputes with trade unions.

“This step is being taken by Svitzer under the provisions of the Fair Work Act in response to damaging and ongoing industrial action being organised by the unions,” the company said.

Svitzer further noted, “There have been more than 1100 instances of industrial action notified by the maritime unions since October 2020.

Since 26 October 2022, there have been more than 250 instances of protected industrial action alone, amounting to nearly 2000 hours of work stoppages. There is new protected action being notified by the unions on an almost daily basis.”

The company also said shipping operations at major metropolitan and regional Australian ports nationwide in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia are expected to be impacted.

Maersk has also put out notices warning customers about potential supply chain disruptions.

“We have received notification from Svitzer of the intended lockout of all crew covered by their existing enterprise agreement and have been working to better understand the ramifications of this,” the carrier said.

It also explained: “As noted by Svitzer, the position has been taken post nearly 2000 hours of work stoppages being actioned by the respective unions over the past month. This coupled with other operational disruption has already created significant challenges for Australian supply chains, as can be evidenced by Maersk actioning over 40 contingencies in the past month.”

The Danish liner giant has also begun to readjust sailing schedules of its services to mitigate the impact of port congestion and vessel berthing delays. To that end, a trade advisory announcing schedule changes on its “Komodo service” between Australia and South East Asia has been issued.

“In order to continue serving Australian supply chains in the best manner possible, Maersk is working on contingency plans to limit the impact to our customers as far as possible, however until a definitive position is reached, we will continue to operate on a business-as-usual basis,” it added.


Jenny Daniel
Global Correspondent

Contact email: j.daniel@container-news.com





Latest Posts

DP World, VIMC Lines launch domestic coastal service in Vietnam

DP World, in partnership with VIMC Container Lines (VIMC Lines), has launched the Mekong Express, a new domestic sea-river transport route connecting Vietnam's Can...

Port of Corpus Christi completes channel improvement project

The Port of Corpus Christi in Texas is marking a major milestone in US maritime infrastructure with the near-completion of its long-anticipated channel improvement...

CMA CGM announces new surcharges and rates in Asia

French ocean carrier CMA CGM has announced new surcharges and Freight All Kinds (FAK) rates for shipments from Asia. First of all, the company will...

APM Terminals Moín launches modernisation initiative

APM Terminals Moín in Costa Rica has announced a modernisation project focused on streamlining access to the terminal. The initiative, which began in April 2025,...

Russian shipping operations show mixed trends in 2025

Russia’s maritime landscape is undergoing a gradual but complex transformation as the country adapts to shifting geopolitical dynamics, trade realignments, and logistical reconfigurations. St. Petersburg,...
error: Content is protected !!