The 93,000 tonne Five Stars Fujian ship and its 20 Chinese national crew members were detained last Friday by AMSA after they found the company had breached the Maritime Labour Convention in relation to insufficient food and wages.

AMSA delivered emergency food supplies to the hungry crew on Friday and helped organise, along with the Gladstone Port Corporation and Mission to Seafarers Gladstone to send off another 200 kilograms of fresh food sent via helicopter on Monday.

An AMSA spokesperson said they were notified on Tuesday afternoon that the owners, Five Stars Fujian Shipping Co of Hong Kong, had transferred money to a supplier to load the ship with enough fuel and food for the voyage back to China, however there was no mention of wages, which were below international standards.

"Before the ship can be released from detention, AMSA needs assurances from the vessel owners and charterers that the vessel has sufficient fuel and provisions for its planned voyage to China and that adequate crew wages have been paid," the spokesperson said.

Mission to Seafarers Gladstone chaplain Russell Cunningham said tens of thousands of ships came through Gladstone Port every year and he said this was the first time they had needed to deal with one that was abandoned.

"There are issues every now and then with perhaps wage issues on ships, wages not being paid, dwindling supplies," he said.

"One time I went aboard a ship that had spent budget buying supplies in China, but when they opened the supplies, it was soiled couldn't use it, didn't have any money left.

"They are working to a budget and that is stripped down to as low as it can be."

Mr Cunningham said they were preparing to send out another fresh batch of food to the crew members if the issue hadn't been resolved by Friday.

"We are making moves to put more fresh food on ship by Friday," he said.

"We don't want to see these guys go through the weekend without any food."

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