Shocking allegations have emerged about crew going without pay for a year and having their signatures forged on bogus payslips by a company with a history of not paying crew.
The ship and its crew have been abandoned in the port of Douala, Cameroon by Lebanon-based Amin Shipping Company.
Luis Alberto Veloso is one of four abandoned seafarers on board the Togo-flagged MV Onda who has gone one year without pay.
“I have been working on this ship since December 4, 2019,” the seafarer says on video. “After a voyage to Niger, we were lucky enough to earn a month’s salary. After that, as of now, we haven’t received any salary.”
Shipowner Mohamed Amin of Amin Shipping Company in Lebanon claims he is paying the crew.
Four of the seven crew members allege their signatures on wage receipt documents have been forged. And they say the chief officer has been abusive.
“We are subjected to racist remarks - ‘f’g black people’,” one African seafarer claims was said towards some of the crew, providing photo evidence of the officer’s written slurs.”
The crew called on the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) for help in September last year. But all correspondence with the shipowner over the last four months has proved futile, according to an ITF spokesperson.
Union representatives boarded the vessel and confirmed breaches of the Maritime Labour Convention. Seafarers were cooking fish on wood fires on deck and collecting rain water to survive. The ITF has had to step in and provide emergency provisions to the crew twice.
Amin claims he was unable to transfer money from Lebanon due to the economic crisis and Covid-19. He says he has flown to Cameroon to pay the crew and refutes their allegations.
“Ur people here knows if we are providing vsl [vessel] with food and water and gaz oil,” Amin wrote to the ITF in January, denying any wage theft or forgery.
“Before yesterday advanced the crew with some cash as we did also last 10 days,” he added via email to the ITF. “Soo guess u have to refresh ur information.”
Veloso and the other seafarers on the vessel want off. Three of them live locally, but they know once they leave the vessel and it sails their chances of getting their outstanding wages are next to none. Amin has just paid some $1600 in cash to the four seafarers, but they are still owed wages.
