[STATEMENT] JUSTICE FOR SEAFARERS
Translation: Bahasa
IMA Global Statement on the Abandonment of 15 Filipino Seafarers at Sea
23rd January 2025
The International Migrants Alliance strongly condemns the abandonment of 15 Filipino seafarers onboard a vessel owned by the Imperial Shipping Agency - Sierra Leone.
The crew had been stranded for almost four months since September 18th, 2024 due to a generator malfunction, with no response by the company to their requests for spare parts. During this time, the company provided no fresh water and food, with the crew eating only boiled rice for 24 days when provisions ran out. Their health deteriorated after using rainwater for cooking for almost five months, and crew members experienced severe mental stress from being on board for over a year. On top of this, the emergency generator also malfunctioned and the vessel was in total blackout. For nearly three weeks, the chief cook used firewood to prepare meals while engineers attempted to fix the emergency generator. Despite informing the company, the crew's concerns were ignored, and instead they were belittled and blamed for the malfunctions.
A tugboat was requested on October 2nd, 2024, but the company had failed to arrange for it, leaving the vessel stranded for over four months. Due to the company’s deliberate inaction to rescue the seafarers, the crew was forced to drift the vessel back to land, and came dangerously close to the coast of Morocco. The crew have been rescued by Moroccan authorities, but the vessel remains adrift in Moroccan waters until now. The shipping company is avoiding all responsibilities pertaining to this incident, and the crew's salaries still have not been paid for months, some since July 2024.
The IMA stands with the Concerned Seafarers of the Philippines (CSP), the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and Migrante International in demanding justice and fair compensation for the seafarers, and the immediate removal of the vessel from waters until it is adequately restored to prevent further endangerment to crew and the marine environment.
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