Challenges fishermen faced were addressed through joint efforts

The Kaliningrad Territorial Organization of the Seafarers’ Union of Russia (KTO SUR) received a thank you letter from the crew members of the trawler, which is now in Cameroon: the fishermen report that the issues they were facing in connection with  crew change and  payment  of wages have been resolved.

As Lyudmila Izmalkova, KTO SUR Chairman, said, the Union received a request for help 2 weeks ago: relatives and wives of the crew members stated that the contracts of the trawler crew members had ended in March 2023, but they have not been given neither tickets home nor money they earned.

At the time of the appeal, the Greek shipowner just fed the crew  with promises to arrange their repatriation and  put them off under various reasons beyond the control of the company: the need to wait for more appropriate port, then the issue with visas, the laying up, the lack of a charter party and so on. This lasted for about  two months, until the fishermen lost their patience.

-There were slim possibilities to assist the crew, - Lyudmila Izmalkova admits. - Firstly, they are fishermen, which means that the Maritime Labor Convention cannot be applied to them, and secondly, whatever one may say, the vessel was at the anchorage in Cameroon. But we succeeded!

We managed to address the issues through joint forces with  a Kaliningrad crewing agency  and the SUR International Department, the latter  enlisted the support of colleagues from the Hellenic Seafarers' Union. “First of all we agreed on the exact dates of  crew changes, and then we received confirmation of payments,”  - Izmalkova explained. - And now the seafarers  themselves have reported that they are flying home!”

Source: KTO SUR; photo by ITF