The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) help the Russian and Lithuanian seafarers of the ice breaker Polar Star to returned home after being abandoned in the Canary Islands.
The five (5) crew members have joined the ship during May and June in Las Palmas. They had been employed by Allan Skovlund, managing director of Danica Crewing and chief executive officer of Danavis Marine, to start repair works and then after three weeks sail the vessel to Klaipeda, Lithuania, to complete the operations. The crew access to food and other supplies was restricted, the crew was unable to leave the ship and access to the vessel was limited. The men turned for help to the ITF inspector in Las Palmas, Gonzalo Galan, who successfully negotiated food supplies and access to the vessel.
Five were determined to remain on board while some crew members decided to give up and pay for themselves to go home. On 24 August the owner agreed to repatriate them and on 29 August the seafarers finally flew home.
Gonzalo Galan said: “The crew is very relieved to be home, but they have not received their salaries yet.
“The Cornwallis Financial Corporation, which represents 3264741 Nova Scotia Limited, have promised our inspector in Halifax, Canada that they will not complete the sale of the vessel until the crew is fully paid. We will keep working on that.”
Source: itfseafarersorg
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