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Detention in Taranto

After its arrival in the port of Taranto on March 11, 2019, the "Denizhan Trio" was detained for serious shortcomings regarding the poor preparation of the crew and various irregularitiesby the Coast Guard of Taranto. The detention was decided following an extended inspection lasting 10 hours, as the ship was not in compliance with the requirements of international conventions concerning navigation safety andfor many obvious non-conformities. Operating and working conditions were found below the standards set by the main international maritime conventions. In particular, serious deficiencies were found concerning the poor preparation of the crew and various irregularities relating to the equipment on board, including a defect in the operation of the rescue boat lowering device which would have rendered it useless if necessary. A serious deficiency also emerged against the company that manages its security, a Turkish company based in Istanbul. The ship had arrived from Nemrut Bay to take a load of cement in bags. The vessel, with a high-risk profile, had already been stopped twice in 2016 and once in 2017 in the Paris Memorandum area. Only after all deficiencies found have been rectified it will be released by the Italian authorities. Italian report with photo: https://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/news/taranto/1120677/problemi-sicurezza-nave-panamense-bloccata-nel-porto-di-taranto.html

Crews of Seccadi and Tora supported by Guild of Benevolence

A group of nine seafarers from the "Seccadi" who were left stranded on UK’s Mersey River for almost three weeks, have now returned home. The IMarEST’s Guild of Benevolence made funds available to support the crew of both this vessel and the "Tora" also under detention. The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency detained the ship on June 20, 2017, at a berth in the country’s Ellesmere Port, Liverpool, due to conditions on board. While the ship was given a layby berth at Manisty, the crew, which included Turkish, Indian and Azerbaijani nationals, remained locked in dispute with the vessel’s owner Voda Shipping of Turkey over pay and conditions, according to data provided by Liverpool Seafarers Centre (LSC). The seafarers have been repatriated at the owner’s expense, avoiding deportation which was fast becoming a reality. Following the crew’s repatriation, the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) lodged protests with Seccadi’s owners and the Panama ship registry over the conditions discovered onboard the vessel.

Crew of abandoned ship repatriated

The crew of the "Seccadi" abandoned in Ellesmere Port, has been paid and was safely home following action by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) through its Liverpool inspector Tommy Molloy, the Border Force and the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The ITF described the abandonment of the ship, owned by Istanbul based Voda Shipping, along with two others owned by the company in other UK ports, as ‘a culture close to modern day slavery. The "Seccadi" had been moved to Ellesmere Port from Runcorn by Peel Ports after languishing there for some time. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency then detained the vessel at a lay-by berth at Manisty Wharf due to appalling conditions on board for the crew. Some of the crew had been paid just 66p per hour until the federation intervened. Maritime interests working for seafarers were described as being ‘up in arms’ over the pay and conditions allegedly being endured by the Turkish and Indian crew aboard the vessel. Some of the Indian crew were thought to have been aboard for an entire year. Despite a claim amounting to more than £50,000 in back pay being largely settled problems still remained for those trapped on board. Mr Molloy lodged protests with the Turkish owners and the Panama ship registry over the ‘shocking conditions’ he is said to have found with no fresh fruit, vegetables or meat on board the ship. There was a cockroach infestation in the galley. The North West Port Welfare Committee and the good people of Merseyside are rallying round and have taken it upon themselves to look after the crew’s welfare. Fresh fruit and vegetables have been provided by the Seafarers Centre who were also ensuring they have adequate shore leave as a diversion from their plight. Others have offered cash donations to cover their basic needs. The crew, who had been paid as little as $0.85 an hour, have finally been repatriated. The ship owner had been informed by the Border Force that if all the issues were not resolved by the end of the defined period the vessel was allowed to remain in the UK, the force would have little option but to deport the crew. However the force granted an extension to their leave of stay. For the first 10 days of the detention nothing much was done, according to Mr Molloy, although the company started to pay wages on the ship. After much pressure the owners claimed that they would repatriate three Indian crew members. They provided the flight details but not the tickets. Afterwards one of these crew members told me he had paid for a ticket for an onward connecting flight to his home region from Mumbai. He lost this ticket when the ticket from the company did not turn up. It was discovered that the crew were all required to pay for their own flights from their home countries to Istanbul and then the company would fly them from there to join a ship. The same applied on the way home. It was also revealed that the Indian crew members had to pay thousands of dollars to the crewing agent the company uses in India for ‘training’ and ‘certificates’ another breach of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). They either have to find this money in advance or are effectively tied to the company until this amount is paid back. This is a further breach of the convention. Eventually the owners finally provided tickets but stated that three crew members could remain and would be joined by a replacement crew. The remaining crew of three, including the captain, ‘were in a very precarious position’ but the company agreed to buy the crew’s tickets and pay owed wages. They also decided to fly the captain home at the last minute. Report with photos: http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/cargo-ship-crew-abandoned-ellesmere-13381112