PSC protects the deceived seafarers in the Far East

Tao Ace (flag of Panama) was jointly inspected by the Port State Control (PSC)  and the Far Eastern Regional Organization of the Seafarers' Union of Russia (SUR FERO) at the  Port of Nakhodka. As a result, the crew members, who were previously rotated without wage payments, received more  than $31,000. 

The labour conflict between  the company and three seafarers  had started  in the Port of Hibikinada, Japan. The  company wrote off a chief engineer, а  second officer and a cook   due to the  expiration of their  contracts. They had three-month wage  debts. The crew reached out to Fusao Ohori, the International Transport Workers' Federation coordinator  in Japan. He sent a letter to Pyotr Osichansky, the ITF inspector   in Vladivostok, seeking  to make  an inspection of M/V Tao Ace because the next of her port of call was Russian port of Posyet.  The ITF inspector got  support of  the harbourmaster. 

However, during a sailing direction  the Tao Ace's captain received from the  shipowner a letter informing about the  change  of  her port of call.   Tao Ace   called at Nakhodka  for coal loading. Here Alexander Sherstyuk, the PSC inspector in Nakhodka, and the  SUR FERO inspector were waiting for the ship. They checked the  ship against the Consolidated Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). 

Speaking to the crews, the chairman of the union Nikolai Sukhanov confirmed  that the  employer  rotated three seafarers without wage payments.  “Tao Ace's captain  got  in contact with  the  company  and informed it that the  PSC could detain the  ship  due to  the breaches of  the  MLC, particularly the  wage requirements. The employer responded quickly  and paid to the  ex-crew members over $31,000,” the SUR FERO's leader  said.

The SUR points out that  the Port State Control in the Russian Far East protects the  interest of simple maritime workers continuously. “We express gratitude to the Administration of the  Nakhodka Commercial  Sea Port  and its  timely support  in the settlement  of the  seafarers' issues,” Nikolai Sukhanov added. “Hopefully  our cooperation  will be continued in  the future.