The captain and first mate aboard the Malta-flagged bulker adrift near a wind farm off the Netherlands are in legal hot water, Nautilus International said on Tuesday.
The labour union cited domestic media reports saying the two seafarers were arrested after the incident by Dutch authorities. On 31 January, the 37,200-dwt Julietta D (built 2013) lost control in rough seas near the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm, which is under construction.
Nautilus said the two officers were released but remain under investigation for allegedly “causing damage at sea”.
“Such arrests are in line with the trend that seafarers are criminalised even before all the facts are known,” Nautilus deputy general secretary Marcel van den Broek said.
“Nautilus believes that all seafarers deserve fair treatment in all aspects of their work, including accidents.
“It was an empty ship in a full storm. That swings in all directions. If the anchor then breaks loose, it is hardly possible to get the ship under control. If you don’t get the engine started quickly, the ship is out of control.”
The Julietta D collided with the 13,021-dwt chemical tanker Pechora Star (built 2011) before losing its rudder and drifting near wind turbines.
Hollandse Kust Zuid owner Vattenfall told TradeWinds that it was unclear if there was any damage to its structures. TenneT, a Dutch company building transformer platforms for the wind farm said the Julietta D hit one of the foundations, but was unsure of any damage.
The bulker’s crew of 18 reportedly had to be evacuated by helicopter.
The ship was towed to Rotterdam, where manager Alliance Maritime said it would undergo repairs.
Van den Broek said the arrests were another incident of criminalisation of seafarers, where authorities blame crew members for incidents out of their control. He said the union would be monitoring the proceedings closely.
On Monday, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) levied charges of seafarer criminalisation against Turkish authorities for the detention of four Ukrainian seafarers on drug charges.
The quartet were arrested after authorities broke the customs seal on a container aboard the 3,430-teu MSC Capucine R (built 2001) and found cocaine.
ITF leadership said authorities appear content to punish seafarers for crimes they almost certainly had no role in — containers are sealed before loading and the crew usually does not know what is inside — instead of pursuing the real criminal elements.
The seafarers had been released on bond, but remain in Turkey awaiting a trial that the ITF said was unlikely to start soon.
