The crew on board the Wakashio should be released and repatriated as soon as possible. This is what the International Transport Workers’ Federation is calling for, expressing deep concern about the treatment of the ship’s seafarers, who have been held under ‘house arrest’ for over a year at a local hotel in Mauritius.
“We are concerned about the lack of appropriate legal proceedings,” said ITF’s seafarers section chairman David Heindel, who believes that the crew’s treatment violates their human rights.
The ship, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines, ran aground on a coral reef on 25th July last year. Almost three weeks later it broke in two, spilling 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil into the pristine waters around the island.
After the grounding, Captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar and Chief Officer Tilakaratna Subodha were arrested by the Mauritian authorities. Most of the rest of the crew have been held under ‘house arrest’ and detained in a local hotel.
In a letter to Mauritius President Prithvirajsing Roopun, the ITF called for an ‘expeditious conclusion’ to the matter. Some seafarers have not seen their families for over two years, as they had been on board the ship for 12 months or more when the accident occurred.
Translation by Giles Foster