The Seafarers Union of Kenya (SUK) has asked the government to help return home four Kenyan seafarers stranded in Oman after their employer abandoned them aboard the 'Saharla'. Salim Mwamba, Idd Abdurahman, Omar Mwalimu, and a cook identified as Tella Hamisi were unable to return home because they have no money. The four were on board the ship, which has been seized in Duqm in the sultanate of Oman after it was abandoned by the owner at Asyad Dockyard in the Middle East nation. The union had received disturbing reports from the four Kenyans and two Tanzanian nationals appealing for assistance. The four are from Likoni sub-county, Mombasa county.The crew have overstayed on the ship for one year and six months and have not been paid their wages for the last seven months. The crew members have been left to fend for themselves and are living in deplorable conditions.On July 19, 2924, the SUK has written a formal appeal to engage relevant government agencies to save the Kenyans who have continued to suffer in the foreign nation without aid. The letter was copied to the Ministry of Labour, the office of Principal Secretary, the Ministry of Interior and Immigration Services, and the International Transport Federation (ITF) Mombasa inspector Betty Makena.
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ALFA NERO
The 'Alfa Nero' has been sold for $40 million with Northrop & Johnson's Richard Higgins bringing the buyer and assistance from FEMA Management (Federal Emergency Management Agency) on the side of the seller. The yacht was on the market just ten days before closing. The sale brings two years of legal wrangling and issues around unpaid crew wages to an end, following the yacht's arrest in 2022. At that time, she was put under investigation amid allegations that her owner was sanctioned and was later declared "abandoned" by the government of Antigua and Barbuda. The proceeds from the sale will be used to fulfill various obligations, including settling outstanding debts owed to creditors and the crew since the yacht’s arrival. In addition to covering these debts, a portion of the proceeds will be allocated to address the $220 million funding gap in the local government recorded for the first half of 2024.
