[ad_1]
They live on a boat that has been stranded for nearly a month, temporary hostages to a multi-million dollar conflict involving a vessel sailing under the Panamanian flag, owned by a Japanese holding company, operated by a German company, with an Indian crew.
As if that weren’t enough, they are trapped in Egypt. Specifically in the Great Amer Lake, in the Suez Canal system.
The cargo ship Ever Given ran aground in the canal from March 23 to 29, causing the blockade of one of the main trade sea routes of the world.
Three weeks later, the 25 crew members on board the vessel were still in good condition and even the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), which was able to visit them on board, said it was “in a good mood”.
However, the crew feel in an awkward position and are understandably anxious to find out if they will be able to return home as usual at the end of their contract, explains the ITF statement.
The Suez Canal Authority has previously warned that as long as the nearly US $ 1 billion claim to compensate the damage, the rescue operation and the “loss of reputation” is not resolved, the ship will remain in operation. Egypt and his crew will not be able to leave him during this time.
“It is natural for them to experience anxiety given the uncertainty of the situation, ”Mundo Abdulgani Serang, of the Indian Boaters’ Union, who represents the crew of Ever Given, told BBC.
But Serang also pointed out that Bernard Schulte, the German company that chartered the boat and hired the crew, has a reputation and that seafarers have appropriate union agreements.
When Ever Given was crossed, they pointed to weather conditions as a possible cause, and almost immediately analyzed the competence of the personnel and the possible negligence committed in everything that happened.
Some media in India have even echoed industry fears that the parties are taking the crew as a scapegoat or could end up being placed in house arrest.
But Serang recalls that if “the ship was seized by order of the Egyptian courts, it was not lifted no doubt about his professionalism. “
For the moment, the The official status of the vessel is “confiscated”According to Evergreen, the shipping company that leases container ships from the Japanese holding company Shoei Kisen Kaisha, but no one has been charged with the accident.
Experts warn that resolving this international dispute between all businesses, insurance companies and government agencies could take years.
Legal entanglement
While the Suez Canal Authority contends that the efforts to free the vessel were costly and should be compensated, the owners of the vessel have filed a lawsuit in the UK against the company that operated el never gave.
All these accusations and cross-trials show that It will not be easy to determine who is responsible and how much to pay.
In the midst of this complex legal context is the crew.
“There was no loss of life, oil spills or criminal activity in the incident. It’s just a civil question about the financial implications negotiated by the owners, charterers, insurers and Egyptian authorities, ”said the representative of the Indian boaters union.
“It appears that the Indian crew aboard the Ever Given will have to be prepared for a long arrest“Captain Sanjay Prashar told The Times of India newspaper.
On the positive side, the ITF investigation concluded that there had been no breach of the ship’s staff contracts and that all had received their March wages.
That’s why for now it is not considered a case of abandonment like that suffered by Mohammed Aisha, the keeper of an abandoned ship on the southern coast of Egypt that he can leave unless the shipowner finds a replacement or the ship is sold.
According to the International Transport Workers’ Federation, in Egypt officers on board detained ships are sometimes found under a status equivalent to house arrest, sometimes during the.
“width =” 400 “>
It is not the first time
In fact, this is not the first time that a ship’s crew has been trapped against their will.
In June 1967, 15 ships crossing the canal remained in the crossfire between Israel and the bloc formed by Egypt, Syria and Jordan during the Six Day War.
As the conflict was resolved, the anchored boats in the Great Amer Lake not to be identified as goals.
The war ended on June 10, with the defeat of the three Arab countries.
But Egypt maintained the blockade and the 14 boats could not leave.
Thanks to diplomatic negotiations, some sailors left within two weeks, BBC Radio 4 host Peter Snow told the 2010 show The Yellow Fleet.
But the rest of the crew stayed three months.
A scenario, that of remaining on the ship, facing the crew of the Ever Given.
“Seafarers will get legal and logistical support at local, national and international level in solidarity. They are not alone“They are concluding Indian union.
.
[ad_2]
Source link