Independent journal on economy and transport policy
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SEAFARERS
ITF denounces that not even the attempted suicide of a seafarer moves companies and authorities to assist abandoned crews
The incredible and dramatic story of the staff of three ships of the Turkish Sea Lion Shipping
Londra
September 26, 2023
The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)
accused the Turkish shipping company Sea Lion Shipping of
disregard the fate of seafarers on board ships of the
Istanbul companies, abandoned seafarers without wages in
An extremely precarious situation that led one of them to
attempt suicide. The ITF reported that last September 21
a seaman of the ship Med Sea Eagle, which since July has been
anchored off Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, is
was transported to the ground and hospitalized after taking
an overdose of painkiller tablets. 'The question that the
maritime community now has to ask itself - said Steve
Trowsdale, ITF Inspectorate Coordinator - is: How is it
things were allowed to become so serious that
To push this seaman to want to take his own life? The Sea Lion
Shipping - added Trowsdale - claims to be in trouble
financial, but it is highly immoral, and contrary to the law
international, unloading the weight of its failures on its
Man. In any case, there are systems that should
safeguard individual seafarers involved in this type of
Situations. These systems - specified the representative of the
International Union of Transport Workers -
are failing because of the ambiguous behavior of the company and
Why are a whole host of other people evading
own responsibilities'.
The ITF announced that, when asked by the union following the
attempted suicide of the seafarer, the ship's owner responded
by e-mail explaining that "the financial losses suffered by the
our company, together with the fact that our entire fleet is
Currently unusable, they are gradually stopping all
our activities. As a company, we are making every effort to
remedy this situation, including assessing measures such as
sale of ships'.
However, the union stressed that the priority must be
be aimed at the well-being of the crews. 'The company -
explained Sandra Bernal, coordinator of the ITF FOC Network
for the Asia Pacific region, acting on behalf of
of the crew of the Med Sea Eagle - has several times
promised to pay the crew and bring them home, but these
Promises were useless." In this regard, the ITF has
specified that last September 8 Sea Lion Shipping sent
remittances to the crew with the prospect of the next payment of their
wages in arrears, but payment that was not
carried out. "These people - denounced Bernal - were already
stranded on board the ship for months without any report on
when they could go home. They were running out of food and water
And many essential medical supplies were already exhausted. Three
were suffering from fever and a quarter suffered from severe pain in the
back. Issuing misleading communications in such a situation is
Definitely cruel. No wonder that some
seafarers have been so prey to anguish. You too
You would be distressed if your life were hanging by a thread
to such an insensitive employer'.
The union stressed that such behaviour by the
Turkish company also concerns other ships in its fleet, including
the Med Sea Fox, also anchored off the Emirates
United Arabs, whose ten crew members, after many months of
pressure from the ITF, managed to get payment
of wages and repatriation, even if - the union has specified -
Four Ukrainians are still owed the pay of 26 days of
work. However, these seafarers have been replaced by others.
ten that have not been paid for more than three months. 'The
company - accused Trowsdale - admitted to being in
financial difficulties. So it hires people in full
awareness that does not intend to pay them. This, in my opinion, is
trafficking in human beings'.
The ITF specified that a third ship of Sea Lion Shipping,
the Med Sea Lion, is currently abandoned in Africa
western, with the crew being unpaid, or
assisted by the company. Last June - specified the
Syndicate - twelve seamen of the ship, who believed they would return to
home in India, were turned away at a Guyana airport in
how much it turned out that the company had provided them
fake tickets.
Returning to the case of the Med Sea Eagle, the ITF has announced
that the seaman who attempted suicide was discharged
from the hospital but, incredibly, he was sent back on board
of the ship and, in response to the suicide attempt, Sea Lion Shipping
has again issued remittances to the ship's crew
whereas, however, it has once again not been paid, nor has it been paid
The supplies that had been
Promised on September 23.
Trowsdale pointed out that, in particular, the case of the Med
Sea Eagle has highlighted not only "the abominable
behaviour of the shipowner', but also that of other actors
involved, with "the shipping agent who refused
to supply the ship until it has been paid by the
shipowners, with the flag State not hired
no liability, with insurers absconding and
with the authority of Port State Control that intervened
only after the attempted suicide of the seafarer. While all
these people are trying to shirk their responsibilities,
Months go by and seafarers suffer. As an industry - he concluded
Trowsdale - we need to find better ways to deal with these
problems. In the meantime, Sea Lion Shipping must sell at least one
of its ships to end the financial crisis and start
treat its seafarers with the respect they deserve."
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