The collective agreement expired on board of m/v Danai

The company Meadway Bbulkers Lltd continues to operate the vessel Danai (flag of Liberia, IMO 9866548) with the expired ITF collective agreement. «Firstly, this increases the risks for the crew, and secondly, the crew will probably have problems in the next port of call-Tacoma, USA,»- said Nikolay Sukhanov, chairman of the Far Eastern territorial organization of the Seafarers Union of Russia.

The inspectors of the FETO SUR visited the vessel which was under unloading of alumina delivered from Australia. The union representatives were welcomed by a crew consisting of Filipinos and an Ethiopian. Nikolay Sukhanov emphasized that they all speak excellent English. «Unfortunately, the meeting that started well almost immediately was overshadowed by the situation with the collective agreement. We found out that the document expired on March 27, 2021. It turns out that for a month the seafarers have been working at their own risk. In addition, the wages of crewmembers are peanuts. The basic rate of the Filipino AB is 683 US dollars, while the Ethiopian’s inexplicably is only 235 US dollars. The captain’s salary is quite good-9000 US dollars»,-mentioned Nikolay Sukhanov. Representatives of the FETO SUR told the crew that the vessel is flying the flag of convenience and it is simply dangerous to work on board without an ITF collective agreement. «When we tried to clarify how much the crew is insured in the event of death, none of seafarers gave a specific figure as they do not know this», - said Nikolay Sukhanov.

Therefore, upon the request of the crew, the FETO SUR sent a warning letter to the shipowner about the need to conclude a collective agreement with the ITF before the ship leaves the port of Nakhodka. The ITF Inspectorate in the United States has already been informed about the upcoming call of Danai in the port of Tacoma.