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Maersk denies 'going silent' to avoid detection during New Z

The Maersk Aberdeen, pictured here, and the Irenes Remedy, below, recently visited the Ports of Auckland without using their AIS systems, said officials at the Maritime Union of New Zealand.

Shipping line Maersk is denying claims its ships deliberately turned off navigation devices to avoid people knowing it had visited the strike ravaged Auckland port.

The union says it has examples of two ships, the Maersk Aberdeen and the Irenes Remedy, which it claims turned off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) shortly before reaching New Zealand.

It follows moves by dock workers in other New Zealand ports to boycott ships which have been worked on by non-union staff in the Port of Auckland.

Maersk New Zealand Managing Director Julian Bevis said the union’s allegations are “completely without foundation”.

“The wellbeing of our crews is of paramount importance. Our record shows that, and I completely reject any inference we would condone any action that put their safety at risk,” he said.

MUNZ General Secretary Joe Fleetwood said the two ships travelled to Auckland during the recent strikes with their AIS systems turned off despite them being in good working order.

“The experienced maritime workers who noticed the anomaly believe the vessels were trying to be ‘silent’ to prevent their movement being tracked during the current industrial dispute,” he said.

Fleetwood said if the move was deliberate it “showed a complete disregard for the safe passage of the ships and their workforce.”

He said he wanted an assurance from maritime authorities that they will not tolerate deliberate interference with a ship’s navigation systems.

The AIS system uses GPS technology to provide details such as a ship’s position, course and speed as well as broadcasting details about its identity.

It is used at sea to help navigation and avoid collisions, and also allows maritime authorities to track a vessel’s movements.

AIS information can also be viewed over the internet, where the position of thousands of ships can be traced.