Seventeen crewmembers of the bulk carrier Sea Honest, who were abandoned unpaid and unprovisioned in Algeria in July 2016, have finally returned home, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
The last group of five Indian seafarers left the ship last week en route to Mumbai. Another eight seafarers were paid and repatriated on February 26 , following the payment and return home of the two Turkish crew members also last month. Two Indian seafarers have been paid and have opted to remain on board.
“The good news is that this long-suffering crew is now being repatriated, and the even better news is that they are now in receipt of the wages they have been owed throughout their long ordeal. These total USD 151,823,” Mohamed Arrachedi, ITF inspector, said.
The Panama-flagged ship is owned by the Turkish company Vera Shipping, which settled the crew wages and has recruited new seafarers on board.