Ajman: Seven sailors of a 15-member crew are refusing to eat to protest pay and working conditions aboard a stranded 127-metre long chemical tanker in Port Ajman, a senior officer aboard ship said on Tuesday.
In a telephone interview with Gulf News on Tuesday, Chief Officer George Devadze of the merchant vessel Fair Pigasos alleged that amid deteriorating conditions on the vessel, seven crew members are owed an outstanding $180,000 (Dh661,131) in backpay. The total crew comprises Georgian, Indian and Sri Lankan sailors.
Devadze said the vessel is now without basic amenities needed for a minimum quality of life as some await word on when they will receive salaries.
“If we receive outstanding money, we will stop the protest and we will sign off. We don’t like to stay here, we want to go home. We want to be paid our oustanding money and sign off and go home.”
In an email sent to Gulf News, Georgian national Davdze claimed that “living conditions on-board are very poor. [The] vessel’s air conditioning is not working as temperatures here have now increased to almost 40-45 degrees Celsius and are increasing day by day. All water-tight doors are opened for some ventilation. Rats have been seen in galley and accommodation. We don’t have chief cook on-board ...assistant cook also refused to make any food onboard, I have informed company of this issue with official letter given by assistant cook refusing to work. Vessel is fully unsafe and in critical condition.”
John Gray, fleet director of Fairdeal, the operating company overseeing the vessel, told Gulf News that the firm is working to end the personnel dispute and has already paid some workers. “We have a very serious situation aboard right now,” Gray said.
The firm is working to conclude a handover of the ship to return it to a working condition but said negotiations with some crew have not been productive.
Gray said the company has made several efforts to pay outstanding wages to the striking sailors but said negotiations to remove the chief officer to make way for a new captain and chief officer have proved difficult.
Gray said Devadze has “made a number of misrepresentations” and noted that some of the crew who are not striking have received salaries in visits to the vessel by the company since last week.
“There was money that went aboard on Sunday for people onboard who are not complaining,” Gray said. “A relief programme is now in place and it’s going to take between now and the end of the month to conclude.”
Ship registration websites confirmed the vessel is in operation and is listed on online maps showing the ship as lying in Ajman port on Monday.
Fair Pigasos is a chemical carrier with a deadweight of 10,599 tonnes.
It was built by Xinshun Group of China and lists its homeport as Monrovia, Liberia.
