YANGTZE FORTUNE

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Abandoned crew gets paid and will be flying home

After being abandoned aboard the 'Yangtze Fortune' for more than five months, the remaining 16 crew members will fly home on March 22. The Mission to Seafarers said, the crew would be back paid their wages owed by the ship's new owners. The ship has been anchored off the coast of Portland in south-west Victoria since September 2022. A planned mission to deliver cattle to China was scuttled after a crack was discovered in the ship's hull. The vessel became the subject of an Australian Federal Court order in December, with a court judgement ruling the Chinese owners had abandoned the ship and crew amid mounting debt. About 20 crew members were allowed to leave the vessel in January, but 16 crew members were required by the Australian law to remain on board to respond to any emergencies. The crew will be travelling to Melbourne and boarding a flight to Manila on March 22 and be replaced by a Chinese crew, supplied by the ship's new owner. Report with photos: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-21/yangtze-fortune-crew-repatriated-home-abandoned-ship/102125840

Ship left Napier delayed

The 'Yangtze Fortune' which was delayed due to needing repairs, has left Napier early on Nov 16, 2020, bound for Dafeng, ETA Dec 2. The ship was delayed for almost a week after the master confirmed there was an issue with the steering gear before the vessel arrived in Napier. No other safety concerns were noted in the inspection of Maritime NZ. The ship arrived in Napier from Portland, Australia, and the exporter had applied for an Animal Welfare Export Certificate (AWEC) for up to 4750 cattle to be shipped to China.

Live stock carriers under pressure

The "Yangtze Harmony" was stopped from leaving Fremantle after it failed an inspection. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority had conducted a pre-loading inspection of the cattle carrier on Aug 12, 2018, and found evidence the vessel’s ventilation fans were not working. The vessel would not be permitted to load livestock until repairs were carried out and the ship met required mechanical standards. The vessel was ucontracted to the Perth-based live exporter Harmony Agriculture and Food Company. The Company director Steve Meerwald was unable to say how long it would take for the vessel to be repaired. The AMSA also confirmed it had ordered modifications to be made to the sister ship "Yangtze Fortune" as he vessel was not suited to voyages of more than 10 days. The "Yangtze Fortune" is already at the centre of a investigation by the Federal Agriculture Department after 33 cattle died on a voyage from Victoria to China in July. She arrived in Darwin on Aug 10 and was inspected. The AMSA found drainage holes on livestock decks were not big enough and prevented water draining quickly away from the deck. The ship has been permitted to carry 5000 cattle on a short, one-off voyage from Darwin to Jakarta.