An International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) inspector has issued a last ditch call to a shipowner and its flag state to act to stop the suffering of a 17 seafarers abandoned in Algeria.
ITF inspector Mohamed Arrachedi says the crew of the Panama-flagged, Turkish-owned Seahonest has been stranded, unpaid and unprovisioned, in the Port of Algiers for seven months.
“The crew are on the brink,” says Arrachedi. “I believe there’s a real risk of suicide – that’s how desperate they are. The company has washed its hands of them, yet continues to operate other vessels. It’s a human disgrace, I believe they are happy to see the men reach breaking point in the hope that they will leave without a cent of what they’re owed.”
The crew includes two Turkish and 15 Indian nationals.