The reluctance of the Port of Dakar in Senegal to rescue a cargo ship at its anchorage - which has been without electricity and sidelights for months – has once again brought into sharp focus the sometimes appalling treatment of seafarers.
According to the International Transport Workers Federation, this puts seafarers and those on passing ships in grave danger – especially at night.
The Onda was declared abandoned in December last year and has now been in Dakar for more than five months. Its engine has broken down which means it has no power and therefore cannot be lit to warn passing vessels of its presence.
The risk of a collision with the unlit vessel is high due to the anchorage’s proximity to a crowded seaway, warns the ITF.
“Dakar’s anchorage has ships coming and going all the time. It sits a few kilometres from West Africa’s main shipping lanes,” said Steve Trowsdale, inspectorate coordinator at the ITF. “An unlit vessel positioned there at night puts the lives of the Onda’s seafarers in immediate danger - as well as those on any ship passing by. There has already been one near miss. If an oil tanker crashes through the Onda, there will be an environmental as well as human disaster.”
The ITF has contacted authorities at Dakar asking that the Onda be towed into port so that repairs can be made to the engine to make it safe. Their response was that the port was already too busy.
“Effectively, they are prioritising the business of the port over the safety of seafarers. I hope the people who have made this decision can be persuaded to change their minds before there is a catastrophe and they have the lives of seafarers on their consciences,” said Trowsdale.
The four seafarers, from Cameroon, Lebanon, Nigeria and Syria, have been left without pay or sufficient provisions by the Onda’s owners and operators for months. The ship is operated by AMJ Marine Services of Honduras. It is owned by the Amin Ship Company SA, also of Honduras. They have been providing the crew with some provisions but not nearly enough to survive.
The crew are owed each between five- and nine-month’s pay, estimated at over $59 000. All four seafarers have requested repatriation, at the cost of the owner, as is their right under the Maritime Labour Convention. This is unlikely to happen until the ship is allowed into the main port at Dakar.
