***Stranded Donald Duckling cargo ship crew return home
The crew of a cargo ship detained on the River Tyne since November have flown home to the Philippines.
Eleven sailors on the Panama-registered Donald Duckling departed from Newcastle Airport, leaving the Romanian captain and chief engineer on board.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has held the ship at the Port of Tyne in North Shields over safety concerns.
Tommy Malloy, of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, said it had been an “awful situation”.
“They arrived in the UK with very little fuel and food and ran out of both very quickly.
“It is only the good nature of the people of Tyneside which has been keeping the crew going.”
‘So relieved’
The ship had arrived on Tyneside to load a cargo of scrap metal bound for east Asia.
The crew had not been paid for two months before the ship was detained in the UK, according to Mr Malloy, and had been short of food.
He said they had now been paid for that period but have yet to receive a payment for December and January.
Mr Malloy added the men made many friends in the North East, but were “so relieved to be going home because conditions on that ship were absolutely appalling”.
Support has also been provided by the Mission To Seafarers charity in South Shields.
The ship’s owner, Taiwan-based TMT Group, has applied for bankruptcy protection in the United States.
The fate of the Donald Duckling remains unclear. TMT has yet to carry out the repairs necessary to enable it to leave the river.
FROM SUNSHINE COAST DAILY:
***Alleged “Death Ship” still sails despite unsolved murders
The Sage Sagittarius – dubbed the death ship after three fatal incidents – is in the headlines again after a 16-month investigation by Australian authorities with charges yet to be laid. Fair Use – shipspotting.com
A CARGO-carrier dubbed the “murder ship” continues from port to port as three mysterious deaths remain unsolved after 16 months of investigation.
International Transport Workers’ Federation coordinator Dean Summers said he felt investigating the Japanese-owned Sage Sagittarius was no longer a priority for New South Wales and federal police.
The carrier owned by NYK Line was diverted from its route north-west of Cairns on August 30, 2012, after senior cook Cesar Plete Llanto, 42, was lost overboard – his body was never recovered.
The ship was ordered to head to Port Kembla near Wollongong in NSW for examination.
The Australian Federal Police has been investigating the incident ever since.
Just two weeks after Mr Llanto disappeared, the ship’s chief engineer Hector Collado, 57, died after suffering “a fall causing head injuries” on September 14.
The ship had left Port Kembla and was moored in Newcastle at the time.
New South Wales police deemed the incident suspicious and they too are investigating.
Both Mr Llanto and Mr Collado were Philippine citizens, part of a scattered community from the developed country who crew ocean-crossing cargo ships.
As a result of the two incidents in 2012, a Japanese superintendent named Kosaku Monji, 37, was to travel to Japan aboard the Sagittarius.
The highly experienced seafarer died on October 6 in 2012 after falling into the conveyor belt system while the ship was docked at a southern Japanese port.
Japanese authorities are investigating this third case.
This string of fatalities shocked the international shipping world.
At the time, Mr Summers named the Sage Sagittarius a death ship, or murder ship. Now he worries those responsible will never be caught.
“I fear that nothing has happened,” Mr Summers said. “(Authorities) keep saying it’s still in train – it supports our claim that shipping is an invisible industry.
“I was asked to cooperate with the AFP because (the Sage Sagittarius) was an investigation site.
“I’ve had to keep chasing them for some dialogue.”
Thousands of seafarers from the Philippines crew bulk carrier ships operating in Australian waters
In Queensland late last week, there were 11 ships off the Port of Hay Point south of Mackay, 16 off the Port of Gladstone and 14 off Brisbane. Another 36 were arriving, leaving or moored in Sydney’s Botany Port.
The AFP and NSW Police told APN the investigation is continuing but would not provide an update.
Ship owners NYK Line declined to comment on the investigation except to say it is cooperating with authorities.
FROM TRADEWINDS:
***TMT crew fly home
The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) has paid for 11 crew on the abandoned Today Makes Tomorrow (TMT) bulk carrier Donald Duckling to return to the Philippines.
Donald Duckling
The ship has been detained at the UK North East Port of Tyne since November last year.
The ITF finally decided to pay out after it became clear the owner, flag state Panama and the Philippines’ Embassy would not act to end the men’s ordeal.
Only the master and chief engineer remain on board the vessel which the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) considers to have been abandoned.
The original crew had been living off local charity from the Tyne community and Missions to Seafarers while the port authority provided the ship with fuel for light and heating.
Seven of the Romanian crew quit the ship and made their own way home earlier this month after outstanding wages for October and November had been paid by the owner.
Local ITF representative Tommy Molloy says the crew are still owed wages for December and part of January.
It is unclear what TMT intends to do with the Donald Duckling, which is set to be moved to a special berth arranged by the port in the next few days.
Molloy says that the MCA are unlikely to let a new crew onto the ship, which he believes is unfit to live on.
So far TMT has appeared unwilling to spend money on the vessel and repair serious safety failings to release it from detention.
The ship is also running up a considerable bill with the port agent, port authority and now the ITF for the air fares.
FROM LLOYD’S LIST:
***TMT crew repatriated from Tyne
- Friday 10 January 2014, 14:08
- by David Osler
- Back to Lloyd’s List Asia
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Detained: Donald Duckling will not be allowed to sail until deficiencies are rectified, says the MCA.
Coastguard pledges to detain the woodchip carrier until it tackles its deficiencies
MOST of the crew of a woodchip carrier linked to troubled Taiwainese shipowner Today Makes Tomorrow have been repatriated, having been trapped on board the 43,866 dwt Donald Duckling, detained by the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the River Tyne since November.
According to Apostleship of the Sea, the Catholic mission to seafarers, only the master and the chief engineer remain on board.
Seven Romanian nationals paid their own way home after receiving their October and November salaries and 11 Filipinos departed on Thursday after the International Transport Workers’ Federation paid for their air fares.
The vessel is Panama-flagged and the ITF believes that the bill for the tickets should have been funded by the flag state to meet its obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention.
“There were mixed emotions. Obviously the crew are delighted to be going home to their families, but they have yet to receive most of their wages,” said AoS port chaplain Paul Atkinson.
The master, who hails from Romania, is expected to be repatriated next week.
Donald Duckling arrived in northeast England with provisions sufficient for 15 days that lasted only three days, due to faulty refrigeration.
Food and drinking water were provided by AoS and others in the community.
According to earlier reports in Lloyd’s List, the crew were at one stage reduced to catching fish and cooking them on deck, supplementing the meal with a 20 kg bag of rice donated by a local supermarket chain.
“We will continue to assist the remaining crew in any way we can until all are safely repatriated,” Mr Atkinson said.
An MCA spokesman said that under the terms of its detention, imposed on safety grounds, Donald Duckling will not be allowed to sail until deficiencies are rectified.
London-based representatives of TMT were not immediately available for comment.
FROM THE IAM:
***IAM-Delta Flight Attendant Campaign Lands in Amsterdam
January 8, 2014
Gabriel,
January 8, 2014
Gabriel,
Delta Air Lines Flight Attendants’ quest for IAM representation arrived in Europe this week, as grassroots Delta Flight Attendant activists kicked off a week of organizing activities in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on Monday January 6, 2014.
The week’s activities in Amsterdam will offer Delta Flight Attendants the chance to sign or renew their election authorization card and to learn more about the campaign and the benefits of union representation.
The IAM activists also met with the Secretary of the London-based International Transport Workers Federation and representatives from FNV Cabine, a Dutch union supporting their efforts that represents Flight Attendants at Delta code-share partner KLM.
“I sincerely thank both the Delta Flight Attendant activists who exemplify the principles of trade unionism in their purest form, and our ITF brothers and sisters for their support,” said IAM General Vice President and ITF Executive Board member Sito Pantoja. “This week will demonstrate the IAM’s global reach and the power of international coordination and solidarity. The inclusion of Delta Flight Attendants will only make our global solidarity even stronger.”
“The professionalism of cabin crew at Delta cannot be underestimated,” said ITF Civil Aviation Secretary Gabriel Mocho. “These workers keep passengers safe every day of the year, yet each and every one of them could face the sack at zero notice. We welcome this campaign to raise awareness on the benefits of organisation, and offer our full support and backing to the campaign. We urge our affiliates to reach out to Delta flight attendants, to share their experiences of belonging to a union, and to help raise standards for them.”
“I’m really excited that our campaign has gained international support,” said Delta Flight Attendant Gabe Perez. “Flight Attendants from around the world that have a voice at work are pulling for us at Delta. No Delta Flight Attendant should be afraid to sign and send in an IAM card.”