Broome Port Crippled by Two-Week Strike as Cruise Passengers and Local Businesses Face Chaos

Luxury cruise passengers traveling through the remote northern waters of Western Australia are experiencing unexpected disruptions as a strike at Broome's port begins to bite. With work stoppages underway, ship crews have had to resort to ferrying travelers to land in small boats and manually loading provisions.

The industrial action commenced last Friday after stevedoring and maintenance workers walked off the job, following a breakdown in negotiations over wages and conditions with the Kimberley Ports Authority (KPA). The strike is expected to affect operations at both of the port's terminals for a duration of two weeks. This marks the second major industrial dispute in the state's northern region within a week, coming shortly after unrelated stoppages at BHP's Port Hedland facilities.

Local Businesses Feel the Strain

The timing of the strike coincides with a busy week at the port, where two livestock vessels and seven cruise ships were scheduled to berth. An additional 12 boats were expected at the neighboring, privately owned floating jetty. The disruptions are creating logistical hurdles for operators accustomed to automated systems.

Erle Astrup, owner of Discovery One Cruises, which has operated in the Kimberley region for 26 years, explained that her crew has been forced to load supplies from a slipway near the wharf instead of utilizing cranes and stevedores. "I support the negotiations that are going on but it really does have a huge knock-on effect for the whole community, all the tourism industry, the small businesses," she said.

"And that can feel a bit unfair and challenging for many because it's a short tourism season in the Kimberley."

It remains to be seen how larger cruise vessels, some carrying up to 300 passengers and requiring substantial amounts of fuel and food, will manage these logistical hurdles. On Tuesday morning, the luxury cruiser Le Jacques Cartier remained offshore rather than docking at the KPA's main wharf as planned, with passengers seen being transported to the slipway via the ship's tenders.

Deb Corbett, CEO of Ponant Explorations, stated that the company is taking necessary steps to manage the vessel's schedule and will communicate updates directly to its guests.

Industry Adaptation and Criticism

Local operators are working around the challenges as best as they can. Shayne Murray, who runs a bus company servicing visiting cruise vessels, noted that using the slipway is "not ideal".

"But it's working well — the tide's in our favour and the easterlies aren't in today," he said.

Mr. Murray, who also serves as the president of Cruise Broome, emphasized the wider economic implications of the disruption. "It [the strike action] affects everyone, from the hotels to planes, the people who pay a lot of money for these cruises," he remarked.

The situation has also drawn political criticism. In an online post, Liberal MLC Neil Thomson expressed his dismay, writing that it was "so embarrassing for our state to have people disembarking via the slipway rather than on the new multi-million dollar port facility".

Negotiations Ongoing

The dispute centers on a new enterprise agreement, which port workers and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) have been negotiating since October last year. MUA WA branch secretary Will Tracey defended the strike, stating, "Broome tradesmen are paid the lowest rates for tradesmen at port authorities in the state,"

He further explained, "The cost of living has only increased since the last agreement was done and there should be a reflection of that within the Broome area allowance, which compensates for the excessive cost of living across the Kimberley."

The KPA released a statement affirming that it will continue meeting with its staff and the union to "bargain in good faith" to resolve outstanding matters. The Fair Work Commission is currently assisting with conciliation, and the parties are scheduled to hold another meeting tomorrow.