Crew members 'abandoned' by owner without pay

Nine crew members on board a Maltese-registered cargo ship wrote desperate messages for help on sheets and hung them over the side of the vessel on Tuesday, saying they were abandoned by the owner.

The main message was: "Help us. No food or electricity. Where is the ITF (International Transport Workers Federation)?"

According to Transport Malta, the cargo ship, MV Nicea, entered Maltese territorial waters for refuelling on March 5 but was issued with a warrant of arrest because its Turkish owners, Erwina Shipping Ltd, owed money to creditors.

The banners calling for help were yesterday removed as basic supplies were provided by Transport Malta to the crew members, including fresh water, power supply and other provisions.

Attempts to contact the crew failed but when representatives of The Times approached the ship the crew waved in acknowledgment and seemed in good health.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the ITF said the federation was contacted on March 19 and it was doing its utmost to get the crew members paid and repatriated.

"The workers have not been paid since September. They are outraged. We are in touch with the Turkish owners and liaising with the unions in Turkey to try to reach a resolution."

Transport Malta said that when the ship owners were informed that a warrant of arrest had been issued, "communications with them was lost".

ITF said that in such situations banks often requisitioned the boats but in this case the ship was "small and old", so discussions were still ongoing to reach a conclusion.

The 6,894 tonne ship is berthed safely at Parlatorio Wharf, also known as the Red China Dock.