A general cargo vessel was detained in Israel after it was discovered that an unprecedented number of maritime labour laws were being violated, and the crew of the Palau-flagged Serafina were working in shocking conditions.
According to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) the conditions aboard were the worst seen by ITF inspector, Assaf Hadar, in four years of inspecting ships in Israel.
“No employment contracts, food storage freezers all at above 0° Celcius, the stench of rotten meat, a bug infestation, and broken sanitation facilities – these are some of the inhumane conditions seafarers face aboard the general cargo vessel, the Serafina,” the ITF said in a statement on Monday.
Israeli maritime authorities detained the vessel after Hadar’s inspection.
Haifa’s Port State Control (PSC) detained the vessel after it found 29 defects, 18 of which are classed as rule breaches, and on their own could have led to detention.
“In four years of inspecting ships for the ITF in Israel, I have never seen anything this bad. It’s an absolute disgrace that seafarers are forced to work in these inhumane conditions,” Hadar said.
The Serafina is flagged to Palau, an ITF-listed ‘Flag of Convenience’ which the ITF labels as one of the worst flags operating in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to the union most of the crew on the ship do not speak English, with 12 coming from Turkey and five others from Egypt and Azerbaijan. They face a bug and flea infestation on-board, an empty fish freezer, an empty meat freezer that stinks of rotten meat, and a vegetable freezer set at 9°C. Ablutions consist of flooded showers, broken toilets and sinks held together by steel wire.
Hadar has ensured portable toilets and showers are available for the crew on the dockside, next to the vessel. He is also working to ensure the seafarers are repatriated to their home countries.
“Seafarers have a right to decent working conditions. And the ITF and its inspectors will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in demanding that their rights are respected,” Hadar said.
