Hunger strike is going on

The crew  of Riroil 2 (flag of Malta, IMO 9175200, port of origin Valletta) continues  a hunger  strike due to  their employer, Palmali company, owe to  them around $200,000.   The  seafarers have opted  such extreme step and started a protest  on September,1. However, the employer  do not respond to  the crew's action.

According to the  Riroil 2 captain, the ship is at anchorage  off OPL Taman  for three and half months. It is  over 12-mile zone, in the Black Sea  neutral waters. The crew, including nine Russians and  one Azerbaijanian, worked at the ship six months, except  for  a senior engineer, who stayed at the  ship for  nine months and  he had health  concerns. During their  working, no one of the crew did  see  a salary.  The long-tailed  wage  debt  started  in last August.

“Even the health problems aren't  a strong reason for Palmali Gemicilik ve Acentelik A.S. to pay money and  repatriate. The moral and psychological situation at the shipboard  is ill. The company  entirely ignore the seafarers'  requests for their repatriation and payments,” the master writes down to the  port authorities  in  Novorossiysk, Kavkaz, Kerch, Sevastopol, to the Malta Administration, the Seafarers' Union of Russia, the International Transport Workers' Federation and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. In his statement the captain  calls for providing a full control over compliance by  Palmali Gemicilik ve Acentelik A.S. its  obligations under the Maritime  Labour Convention, 2006, including to protect the  life  and health of  tanker's crew members and their repatriation to the  home country. Palmali knows about  the indefinite  hunger strike. The company suffers a deep financial problems, therefore the Russian union recommends to   seafarers think twice before hire  on Palmali fleet.

It should be noted, that  the  crews from  Riroil 3 and Adriatic Mariner  are  in the same situation. Reportedly,  the Malta-flagged Riroil 3 (IMO 9175224) is stuck in the Black Sea neutral waters and  the Malta-flagged Adriatic Mariner (IMO 9175157) is berthed at the Eregli. Turkey.