Seafarers finally return home after 17 months in Ajman, UAE

ITF inspector, Mohamed Arrachedi, has been helping the crew since they were abandoned in June 2016: "This has been a difficult case, and in the end we were helped to conclude it by UAE Federal Transport Authority [FTA].

"The ITF and the FTA have been working closely to end abandonment in UAE waters, and these seafarers have seen the benefit of this. As the UAE moves towards fully complying with the Maritime Labour Convention all seafarers will enjoy the greater protection they deserve when working there.

"In this case we also had the cooperation of the flag state of the vessel - Panama - that helped to resolve the issue.

"But this is not the end of this sad story, the seafarers are owed wages going back to 2015, totalling over USD 916,000. There is never an excuse for seafarers to be abandoned like this, it is a scourge that has to stop, and it has to stop now".

See more about the work of the ITF and the UAE FTA here: https://goo.gl/xZboEt

ENDS

For more information contact

Mohamed Arrachedi
ITF Arab World network coordination
+34 629 419 007
arrachedi_mohamed@itf.org.uk

Photos of the crew are attached. Two are from Myanmar, nine are from India.