London, Nov 14 -- A press report, dated today, states: Farstad Shipping said it has been advised that its Australian vessel operations will be affected by a two-day stoppage of work on Nov 17-18 brought on by the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) which covers ratings and catering staff. A Farstad statement said: "The nature of the stoppage will potentially affect 17 of the 20 Farstad vessels working on the Australian coast. The extent to which each vessel may be affected is in turn dependant on the safety parameters concerning each vessel's operation to give priority to safety." The statement continues: "The stoppage is in connection with the review of Farstad Shipping's agreement with the union which usually operates for a period of three years. The Maritime Union of Australia has chosen direct action instead of voluntary conciliation or arbitration as proposed by Farstad Shipping. The MUA has negotiations running concurrently with 12 companies and the key outstanding issues could res