What Crew Members Say About Daiwan-Justice

The 'Daiwan Justice', a vessel that faced detention at Lyttelton by Maritime New Zealand on March 2, has finally been released. The detention stemmed from serious allegations regarding the crew's unpaid wages, which had reportedly gone unaddressed for nearly four months. Following the operator's decision to settle the outstanding wages, the ship is now free to continue its operations.

The crew aboard the 'Daiwan Justice', who faced an alarming four-month delay in receiving their salaries, finally received their due wages thanks to the prompt actions of Maritime New Zealand (Maritime NZ). The vessel was detained in Lyttelton after concerns were raised regarding unpaid crew members, which drew Maritime NZ's immediate attention when the ship docked in Christchurch. This response came after the International Transport Workers' Federation alerted the authorities to the troubling situation. The crew, working for Taiwanese company Wisdom Marine International Limited, was compensated swiftly following a detention order enforced by Maritime NZ on March 2, 2019. Remarkably, the detention was lifted the same day upon confirmation of the payment being made. It is worth noting that this incident isn't a standalone case; in 2018, another ship operated by the same Taiwanese company, the 'Daiwan Fortune', was similarly detained for outstanding wages. Following an investigation, a Maritime NZ officer confronted the ship's master, who ultimately acknowledged the failure to pay wages, leading to the immediate detention of the vessel. Vredenburg from Maritime NZ stated, 'Maritime NZ applies maritime law irrespective of the 'flag' of the ship and the nationality of the crew.' Furthermore, Maritime NZ is now evaluating potential compliance actions against Wisdom Marine International Limited.