British charity Human Rights at Sea announced the successful repatriation of an Ethiopian Chief Officer who was abandoned on Kish Island, Iran, ‘after a direct, but polite intervention by the charity’. The Chief Officer was also owed outstanding wages which have now been paid in full.
The abandoned seafarer contacted the charity on 12 October to outline that, having completed a six month contract, he had been extended by four further months without pay before the owner had deducted two months and twenty days salary without permission. The charity received corroborated evidence of sign off and wage deductions.
The charity spoke with the crew manager after which the Chief Officer’s wages were reimbursed and a flight home expeditiously arranged. The crew manager stated that in the case of the seafarers wages, “[The] entitlement has been sent from Dubai, it takes few days to received it in Iran, I take care of his rights”.
This case is one where the rights of the seafarer were eventually respected and acted on after direct intervention, though this can not always be guaranteed. The charity is pleased to assist seafarers whenever and wherever they can, but if unable to do so it will pass on their details to other welfare organisations who may be able to help. The charity believes in a collective response from all welfare stakeholders in the ongoing fight for seafarers’s human rights and effective remedy for abuses.
…HRAS commented on the case.
The case was led by HRAS Iranian intern, Sayedeh Hajar Hejazi.
In July, Human Rights at Sea highlighted the issue of abandonment on Kish Island, reporting that 17 seafarers were abandoned there by their respective shipping companies with salaries of almost two years and their identification papers confiscated.
Brilliant, thank you BCHR