Egyptians AWOL from Albany port

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has confirmed three Egyptian men were absent without leave from Albany and Geraldton ports while their ship was docked last month.

Two of the men disembarked from the ship at Geraldton port, a week before a Sri Lankan asylum boat unexpectedly arrived at the Mid West city.

Another Egyptian man from the same ship absconded after its arrival at Albany port six days later on April 9.

A department spokeswoman said all three men had their Maritime Crew visas cancelled and police were notified they were in Australia unlawfully.

“The Department can confirm an Egyptian man deserted his ship while it was in Albany Harbour on April 9 and he hadn’t returned by the time it left Australia,” she said.

“The MCV was cancelled and the WA police have been alerted.

“Two other men left the same ship in the Port of Geraldton six days earlier and didn’t return. Those two crew men’s MCVs have also been cancelled.”

The spokeswoman was unable to reveal further details about the whereabouts of the crewmen as the investigation was “an ongoing matter.”

MCVs are issued to foreign commercial vessel workers and are valid for five days after a ship’s arrival.

A spokeswoman for Australian Customs and Boarder Protection said the ship on which the Egyptian men arrived, Wadi Alkarnak, was an Egyptian cargo vessel.

It arrived from South Korea on March 29 and docked at Geraldton port on April 2 with 32 crew on board. The Customs spokeswoman said DIAC did not request for the boat to remain in Geraldton after the men went AWOL. “The matter was subject to ongoing investigation by DIAC,” she said.

“No request had been made to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service to refuse the issue of a clearance and the opportunity for the crew to return to the vessel in Albany remained.”

Mid West Gascoyne police confirmed a search was launched for the two Egyptian crew members, but they were unable to be located.

Albany Port chief executive Brad Williamson said Egyptian ship workers had gone AWOL before.

“We’re aware of it, we’ve had a couple of Egyptians go AWOL before,” he said.

“We don’t get involved in it, it’s up to Customs and Immigration who handle it, but certainly we know about it.”

He said Egyptian ships were “higher risk ships at the moment.”

“There are two things that happen, either they jump ship and they put their hands up and say ‘please arrest me I’m a refugee’ or they just disappear into the community,” he said.