MV Naviger-5 will be inspected at Rostov-on-Don following a complaint about unpaid wages the SUR received from the crew

The crew of MV Naviger-5 (Sierra Leone flag, IMO 8727939) turned to the Seafarers' Union of Russia for assistance. According to the seafarers, they have not received wages since April 2025, and some crew members' contracts have already expired, but they have not been replaced. 

So, on June 16, 2025, a general meeting was held on board, at which the seafarers unanimously demanded that the shipowner, the Turkish company YRB Shipping and Trading LTD., immediately pay off the wage arrears and comply with the terms of the employment contracts. However, the company ignored these demands, providing neither a payment schedule nor guarantees. 

One of the seafarers was in a particularly difficult situation, as he has been working without a salary and without a replacement for several months, despite the fact that his contract has expired. None of his appeals to the head of YRB Shipping and Trading LTD have been addressed. 

Having failed to achieve payment of debts and repatriation, the crew of MV Naviger-5 turned to the Seafarers' Union of Russia for assistance. 

The SUR Labor Inspector Olga Ananina assisted the seafarers to prepare a statement to the Rostov-on-Don Harbor Master's Office requesting to inspect the vessel in connection with the company's violation of the Maritime Labor Convention. At the moment, MV Naviger-5 is heading to Rostov-on-Don, where the vessel will be inspected by the Port State Control Officers. 

At the same time, according to SUR salary delays are a common problem at YRB Shipping and Trading LTD. The situation is similar on other ships of the company: the crew of MV Octopus-S get money for April only and a wage advance for May; the crew of MV Naviger-1 was paid for April and May, further payments are delayed.

— Many cases of salary delays could have been addressed more quickly if the seafarers had been more vocal in reporting the violations, — Olga Ananina noted.