Dutch seafarers are fighting redundancy at German owner John T Essberger following the sale of three elderly tankers.
But the Hamburg-based owner has rejected union claims that overseas crew are being brought in to replace them.
The row erupted following the disposal of a Netherlands-flagged trio: the 3,000-dwt Alcedo (built 1999) and Ardea (built 2000), and the 4,400-dwt Dutch Faith (built 1996).
Bert Klein, industrial officer at seafarers union Nautilus International, had claimed the tanker operator was operating a “social dumping strategy” by importing cheap labour.
"We demand that Essberger retains our members instead of pushing for redundancy," he said.
'Ill-advised action'
"The usefulness and necessity of this ill-advised plan are still completely unclear to us. Essberger management refuses to share necessary information with us to be able to form a well-founded opinion about it."
The number of Essberger ships under the Netherlands flag has fallen from 11 to eight with the sales.
Nautilus has not ruled out industrial action if a solution cannot be found.
The vessels were part of the fleet of Essberger's joint venture with Netherlands-based Stolt Tankers.
The union said it was very concerned about the trend to flag out from the Netherlands.
"We have seen this with Maersk and apparently Essberger is following its bad example," Klein said. "But, just like at Maersk, we are on top of it, together with our members."
Essberger told TradeWinds that it is in discussions with Nautilus on the implementation of a social plan for the 21 seafarers who will become redundant.
Headcount reduced
"The phasing out of the three ships will lead to an overall headcount reduction in the fleet. Contrary to other reports, therefore, the involved seafarers will not be replaced by international crew," the shipowner said.
The company is also consulting with the Dutch seafarers' association.
However, Essberger said its plan had yet to be accepted.
"The company would like to emphasise it remains committed to look after the interests of its staff and will continue to seek ... a constructive dialogue with unions in order to reach a final agreement with its seafarers," Essberger said.
VesselsValue lists the Ardea as worth $2m, but no seller has been identified.
The Alcedo, also worth $2m, has been renamed Ardbeg by new owner Ardbeg Corp in Ireland.
The Dutch Faith, which is worth $1.6m and now called Ilgaz, has been acquired by Gemiciler Denizcilik Sanayi of Turkey.
Fleet renewal begins
In May, Essberger signed a deal in China for up to eight new chemical tankers as it begins its fleet renewal.
China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Dingheng will build four 6,600-dwt stainless-steel carriers, with options for four more.
The IMO type 2 ships will have dual-fuel LNG propulsion and will be certified Finnish/Swedish 1A ice class.
Delivery is set for mid-2023 and the ships will be operated by E&S Tankers, which Essberger formed in November.
The newest of Essberger's 31 tankers dates from 2013, while three were built in the 1990s.
