Stranded Seamen Claim $102,000 in Unpaid Wages

The 22 crewmembers have been stranded onboard the MV LADY BELINDA since January. They have finally been paid $102,000 in wages owed them since December 2007.

The seamen, all Indian Nationals, have now requested to leave the vessel since they were paid on 5 April 2008, citing the unseaworthiness of the vessel. The bulk carrier was transporting iron ore when it became immobilized on January 5, 2008 in the Malacca Straits and was towed to Singapore, where it was detained by authorities for not being seaworthy.

The crew sought the assistance of the Singapore Maritime Officers' Union (SMOU). SMOU President Capt Robin Foo said that the ship was in appalling condition. The ship had a hole visible at its stern just above the water line and the food and water provisions for the crew were running low.

"It is really distressing to see that seafarers are still being unscrupulously exploited, and the unsafe working conditions onboard the unseaworthy vessel is a cause for concern for the industry," Foo said.

The International Transport Workers' Federation and the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) stepped in to assist the seafarers with humanitarian welfare for the crewmembers and assisted in the recovery of their wages.

The vessel's Chief Officer, G. Ramanamurthy, expressed his relief and thanked the ITF and SMOU saying, "When food provisions were critical especially during the Easter weekend, SMOU came onboard with food, when we needed to contact our families, calling cards were provided and most importantly they helped us get our hard-earned wages."

Captain Foo also said there was still some unfinished business, "As the vessel is still unsafe and unseaworthy, we are now working to ensure that the vessel owner and the employers pay for the full repatriation of the seafarers onboard and that they will continue to pay all additional wages incurred until the crew sign-off the vessel and are repatriated"