'Magdalena' talaga: Pinoy seafarers, others, still stranded in Dubai, still unpaid four months after ship engine conks out

Ship’s crew still stranded off Dubai
Nour Samaha
Last Updated: September 09. 2009 12:18AM UAE / September 8. 2009 8:18PM GMT
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090909/NATIONAL/7...

A crew stranded on a ship anchored off the coast of Dubai is still in limbo, despite receiving an emergency delivery of basic supplies.

The 16-man crew, consisting of Russian, Estonian, Filipino and Ukranian nationals, has been stranded for almost two weeks on board the Magdalena, which is flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda.

After an engine failure left the ship adrift in the Indian Ocean, it was towed toward Dubai for repairs.

The crew had barely enough water, food and fuel to sustain them until the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) arranged a delivery of supplies on September 5.

Crew members are unsure of their next step. The ship’s owner has refused to pay them for the last four months, according to the ship’s captain, with back salaries totalling US$230,000 (Dh845,000).

The ship’s owner, BJR Shipping based in Germany, said yesterday it was working to get together money for repairs and salaries.

“Today I called for a shareholder meeting on September 17,” said Klaus Wibben, the chief executive.

“The agenda will be to bring more capital in. There is no other way.

“I hope that we will be able to pay the workers in a maximum of two weeks.”

The captain of the ship, Roman Vostrikov, said the situation was “not good” before the supplies arrived.

“We had limited quantity of provision, but our fresh water and diesel oil for the generator had finished,” he said.