A Philippines-based seafarers association has accused "racist and extreme right'' New Zealanders of blaming the Rena disaster on the racial origin of the vessel's Filipino crew.
In a statement, the International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC) said the ship grounding on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga was an accident waiting to happen.
It defended the Rena's Filipino crew and blamed international shipping rules for the environmental disaster unfolding across the Bay of Plenty.
The "trauma, fear and physical sufferings'' of the vessel's mostly Filipino crew, who stayed on board the grounded ship for six days, highlighted the the human damage of the incident, it said.
"This is further worsened by some racist and extreme right elements in New Zealand who blame the national origin of the Filipino crew for the incident, in order to launch a racist attack on the some 20,000 Filipino migrants who are now in New Zealand.''
ISAC said the Rena was a substandard and old vessel that had been detained after half its inspections over the last 36 months.
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It said international rules allowed the Rena to fly a Flag of Convenience for Liberia, though its owners Costamare Inc are based in Greece.
The flag of convenience system had been used by "unscrupulous'' owners to allow substandard ships to sail, it said.
"It is not surprising then, that this vessel would figure, sooner or later, in an accident of this sort.
"Many incidents involving substandard vessels flying Flags of Convenience tragically led not only to massive oil spills but to the loss of human lives. This is regardless of the color of the skin, or of the racial origins of the officers and men crewing these vessels.''
The statement said the ISAC stands in solidarity with New Zealanders who were cleaning up oil on Bay of Plenty beaches.
