Shipowners in turmoil over refugee case

Australia’s stubborn refusal to accept a Norwegian cargo ship that rescued 438 Afghan refugees from a sinking ferry endangers the time-honoured practice of saving people at sea, the shipping industry has warned.

The captain of the Tampa did his duty under international maritime law when he responded to a distress call on Monday and picked up the refugees when the ferry carrying them illegally from Indonesia to Australia began to founder, shipowners said.