Luz Baz is relieved that the crew of the abandoned LPG carrier Celanova are being sent home from the Philippines with at least four months' wages in their pockets.
But the International Transport Workers’ Federation coordinator for Spain remains critical of the length of time it has taken to resolve the case.
“Covid-19 has had a big impact in the resolution of this case. But the crew was abandoned in December before anyone had heard about the virus. That is why it is so important to put in place the Maritime Labour Convention [MLC] requirements regarding the abandonment of seafarers in a prompt manner and avoid further possible complications,” she told TradeWinds.
“All the delays in paying and repatriating the Celanova’s crew have ended in a situation where a crew was on board for over eight months and were paid for just four of them. That is not fair.”
The MLC, which entered into force in 2017, requires shipowners to have compulsory insurance to cover the abandonment of seafarers, as well as claims for death or long-term disability.
Sanctioned cargo
That insurance falls under the coverage provided by protection and indemnity mutuals, which are required to pay four months of wages and repatriation costs.
The American Club, which provided P&I coverage for the 7,000-cbm Celanova (built 2003), promptly moved to discharge its duties as required under the MLC, but said the process was delayed because of additional approvals it had to obtain after it discovered that the ship was carrying a sanctioned cargo from Iran.
The Celanova is one of a handful of the 21 abandonment cases reported to the International Labour Organization in 2020 that have been resolved. Nearly half the vessels involved are dredgers and offshore vessels in Middle Eastern waters, where work on construction projects and in the offshore oil sector has been badly affected by coronavirus.
Resolving cases has been made even harder by pandemic-related lockdowns and travel restrictions.
This, Baz argued, is all the more reason why P&I clubs need to accelerate their efforts under the MLC.
“All these problems are serious, but they should not prevent helping crews. That should be the priority. It needs to happen for the MLC to be effective,” she said.
