You're browsing our English site, so by default we are only showing content in English. If you'd prefer to view all available content regardless of language, please change this switch.
You're browsing our English site, so by default we are only showing content in English. If you'd prefer to view all available content regardless of language, please change this switch.
"By the beginning of 2021, sailors onboard the Mt Iba were owed years' worth of wages and had not set foot on land since 2017. Food, fuel and water were running out on board and the vessel was not safe. Alco Shipping representatives had repeatedly made promises that workers would receive wages and compensation following the vessel's sale, but quarantine measures and labour court closures during COVID-19 delayed the auction.
By February 2021, some of the crew had been onboard for 43 months and had not been paid since 2018, accruing owed wages of over $170,000. An agreement was reached on the outstanding salaries that the five-person crew would receive $165k following the sale of the vessel to another company. Alco Shipping has agreed to cover the cost of the sailors' repatriation."
Companies
ALCO Shipping Services
- Employer
Affected
Total individuals affected:
5
Migrant & immigrant workers: (
5
- Asia & Pacific
, Shipping, ship-building & ship-scrapping
, Gender not reported
)
Issues
Restricted mobility
,
Right to Food
,
Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions
,
Forced Labour & Modern Slavery
,
Personal Health
,
Wage Theft
,
Freedom of Movement
Action taken: "The company has reportedly been in financial difficult for three years, with the company representative stating that the workers would be paid when the ship is sold to raise the money. The crew has been dependent on charitable food aid. ""Closed courts and quarantine measures"" were cited as causing a delay to resolution.
Extra pressure as a result of the coronavirus pandemic has meant food supplies are delayed getting to the crew, with the closure of the courts delaying resolution of the case.
In January 2021 the abandoned ship became grounded on a beach and authorities are preparing to drag her into a port."
The crew of the Mt Iba, a tanker stranded off the UAE coast, are due to be repatriated at the cost of the ship's old owner, Alco Shipping, after they receive 70% of their wages owed since 2018. Some of the crew had been onboard for 43 months.