SUR and RS assisted the crew of a Russian tanker to get RUB10.5 million of back wages

Thanks to the combined efforts of the Seafarers' Union of Russia and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, the crew of the tanker "Dignity" succeeded in getting their back wages, which amounted to more than 10.5 million rubles. Following a joint RS and SUR appeal to "Argo Tanker Group", the company immediately transferred funds to all 25 crew members, from a cadet to the captain.

Since the crew of the tanker "Dignity" (IMO 9283241) hadn't been paid in almost two months, they turned to SUR for help. According to the crew, the owner of the vessel - the company "Argo Tanker Group" - did not transfer money to them since mid-June. By August 8, when all crew members sent written claims to the company about non-payment, the debt to them in total amounted to 10.5 million rubles. As the requests to the shipowner remained unanswered, the crew began to seek assistance from the trade union.

So, the seafarers asked the SUR Labor Inspector Olga Ananina to involve in addressing the issue the RS, which issues maritime labor certificates.

The register responded to the Union's appeal immediately. In the official letter addressed to SUR, Deputy General Director of Russian Maritime Register of Shipping Andrey Fasolko notified that the shipowner had been informed of the need to undergo an additional inspection of the vessel by August 29, 2025, due to the violation of Standard A2.2.1 of the MLC - "Wages". This action by the RS had an immediate effect: on the same day, the shipowner transferred all outstanding wages to the crew.

However, the seafarers' troubles did not end there. After unloading in Muscat (Oman), the vessel was directed to the outer anchorage, where it remains to this day. According to the crew remaining on board, they have a few days fuel reserve only. In addition, the insurance policies expired in July, and new ones have not been obtained yet. The shipowner has stopped communicating and hasn't given any instructions regarding the further voyage, so the seafarers fear that they have simply been abandoned.