Singapore has denied allegations that it may have contravened the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) in a recent crew abandonment case.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) made the allegation about the city-state’s handling of a case involving the crew of the Liberian-flagged, 11,670-gt livestock carrier Yangtze Harmony (built 2004).

The vessel was arrested in the city-state by Singapore’s sheriff’s office on 25 October 2022 over an unpaid bill for towing the vessel from Brisbane, Australia, to Singapore.