Four seamen, assisted by the International Workers' Federation, seized the cargo ship "MV ONDA" off the coast of Dakar, Senegal (ITF).
Four seamen, assisted by the International Workers' Federation, seized the cargo ship "MV ONDA" off the coast of Dakar, Senegal (ITF). Due to months of unpaid work, the seafarers were forced to take this extreme action.
The MV ONDA's four-person crew had trouble fixing the ship's engine. However, the port officials in Dakar, Senegal, persistently disregarded the requests for assistance, which is against the Maritime Labor Conventions.
The ship is vulnerable to collisions with other ships going by at night because it has been abandoned at sea in a busy maritime corridor. Even worse, there is no electricity to operate the warning lights, and the MV ONDA's engine isn't working.
The lifeboats are useless, and the ship's control systems are in a dangerous state of disrepair. Multiple times, the ITF had to step in and provide the sailors with food.
As the situation worsened, the ITF sought legal ship seizure from a Senegalese court on behalf of the crew. The court granted their request. However, the ship is still held in custody, and before it can be released, the owner must pay the crew more than $84,000 in unpaid wages.
Since the ship was seized, the owner can only utilize it once all obligations have been paid.
The owners let the ship's registration expire. Hence it is currently without a flag state. The ship's owner and attorneys have also made dishonest attempts to persuade the crew to resume operations. The ITF has warned the crew not to accept any offers without first consulting them.
After the ship was seized, the owners were informed. If the owners don't respond, the ITF plans to sell the ship at auction to compensate for the sailors' losses.