ITF helps crew left without food and pay

The ITF is helping the crew of the Liberia-flagged tanker Leon, anchored outside the UK port of Hull, who have been left without pay and no fresh food on board.

When ITF Inspector Tommy Molloy took a launch out to the vessel, "the first thing the crew did was take me to the food stores. Most shelves are empty … There was no sign of fresh food apart from some lemons and some chillies. No fresh or frozen meat, poultry or fish, no vegetables and no fruit”. He also verified that there was no bottled water on board – the crew were worried about the condition of the fresh water tanks.

The crew also complained that they had not been paid since January, and that they had only received US$50 cash each on board since then. Tommy Molloy calculated that more than US$58,000 was owed to 11 of the 15 crew, who also wanted to be repatriated. One crewmember with stomach pains had not yet been repatriated, despite a doctor’s recommendation while the ship had been in Poland.

Tommy Molloy said : “The company are putting great pressure on the crew to sail the vessel but the 11 crewmembers are adamant they do not want to sail the vessel anywhere – they just want to be paid their owed wages and repatriated from the UK."

The Greek company operating the ship claims there will be food in the next port and that it will look into repatriation for those who want it. It also states that it has arranged payment of owed wages into the seafarers’ home bank accounts, although there is no verification of this.