RIX STAR

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Disabled cargo ship taken in tow

The "Rix Star" suffered engine failure in the evening of Oct 3, 2016, in the Baltic Sea northwest of Baltiysk en route from Tallinn to Kaliningrad. The disabled vessel was caught in stormy weather and started to drift towards Hela Peninsula. The crew failed to re-start the engine and asked for towage. The Malta flagged salvage tug "Agat" (IMO: 8206961) was contracted and left the port of Gdynia. It took the freighter in tow in the afternoon of Oct 4. The convoy was sailing ataroudn five knots in eastern direction towards Gdansk, ETA Oct 5 at midnight.

Crew of Short Sea stranded in Gibraltar

The crews of the "Short Sea" has been stranded on the detached mole in Gibraltar since May 5, 2013, whilst their owners go through company insolvency issues.The vessel was are part of a trio of ships affected by the insolvency of German company, Seavoss Schiffahrt GmbH & Co, with the third ship currently stranded in Morocco. The men working on board these ships have not been paid since February, with one crew member not being paid since December last year. The Seavoss Schiffahrt GmbH & Co, did not respond to their emails, phone calls and questions. They were simply being ignored. The seven crewmembers on-board the "Short Sea" were not covered by any insurance as the company’s insurance on the vessel and the crew expired a month ago. The captains of both ships became more concerned about their welfare when one vessel endured nine days without fresh water and a couple of days without food. Thanks to local agent Tarik Shipping Agency and Bunkering the men have received fresh supplies. Using a rescue boat to get ashore the men now have access to other essentials not provided by Tarik Shipping. However, with no income essentials were becoming more difficult for their families back home to acquire. All of the crew members can come ashore in Gibraltar, but some do not have the correct travel documents to enter Spain. In June, all communications to the vessels were cut due to non-payment of bills, leaving the men with no access to the internet or phone line. Most of the crew have completed their contracts and were not able to leave the ships because of unpaid wages and repatriations. So far, we have sent many e-mails to the company, liquidator and bank with questions about the insurance on board, fresh water and food supply as well outstanding wages and repatriations. Including the time when they were working and being paid, some of the men have been on-board for nine to 14 months. That means some crew members have not been home or seen their family in 14 months. Report with photo: http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=30277