TROPIC HOPE

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Crew members repatriated after more a year on board

Seven crew members of the 'Tropic Hope' who have been stuck on board the ship for more than a year will be repatriated on Oct 10, 2020, in Palm Beach according to an inspector with the International Transport Workers' Federation. The ship docked in Halifax on Oct 4. Karl Risser, the federation's inspector for Atlantic Canada, met with officials from the Canada Border Services Agency and Transport Canada that evening and came to a resolution. The ship's next visit to Palm Beach was scheduled for Oct. 10. Risser inspected the ship on Sep. 20 and has expressed concern about the crew members. Another seven people will go home during a call to Palm Beach on Oct. 23. The first group was the most critical because they have been on the ship for so long. The 'Tropic Hope' has been working a route to Florida and the Caribbean from Halifax for more than a year without its crew going home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Risser's group had asked for Canadian officials to detain the 'Tropic Hope' in Halifax until the issue was settled. On Sept. 20, he boarded the vessel and spoke with the captain and some of the crew. He learned six crew members had been on board since August and September 2019, well past their original nine-month contracts. The inspection followed a complaint from an international seafarer's wife who was worried about her husband's mental and physical well-being. Transport Canada was aware of the concerns with the 'Tropic Hope'. On Sept. 20 an inspector found a deficiency under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) and instructed the master of the vessel to rectify it. The federation will continue to monitor the 'Tropic Hope' to ensure the company follows through.