The seafarers were told that their normal identity documents were no longer valid and that they would have to report to Home Affairs and apply for temporary visas.
Sprite Zungu, the International Transport Federation's (ITF's) representative in Durban, said the rule has since been applied to other ships arriving in port, with agents having to ferry the crew to Home Affairs to apply for visas, if they want to go ashore. He said that, with the new ruling, the time spent calling at Home Affairs used up most of the seafarers' shore leave.
Zungu said that it appeared that the Immigration personnel no longer wanted to go on board arriving ships to clear the crew and vessel as it has always done in the past, - "It's as though [immigration officers] don't want to do their jobs any longer," he told Ports and Ships website.
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