18 April 2012, 23:50
Striking sailors of Dagestani ship stay without food and water in port of Congo
The Russian fishing ship "Tyulen-6" (Seal-6), which has anchored at the port of the Democratic Republic of Congo and which crew is seeking payment of wage arrears from the ship owner, faces running out of reserve of food.
The vessel with the crew consisting of 11 Russian citizens is at the port city of Muanda since this February.
"The team is seeking payment of wage arrears from the ship owner. The situation is complicated by the fact that the ship ran out of reserve of food and fresh water, and there were cases of infectious diseases," states the message posted on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Russian Federation on April 17.
The MFA has reported that the Russian Embassy in Kinshasa closely monitors the situation and provides Russian sailors with necessary information, legal and consular assistance. The MFA has also emphasized that the information about the incident had been delivered to the Seafarers' Union of Russia (SUR), which consider the possibility to initiate arrest and subsequent sale of the vessel to meet the financial conditions of the employment contracts with the crew members.
"It is not known whether that possibility (arrest and sale of the vessel, - note of the "Caucasian Knot") is real in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," writes the authoritative edition of "Maritime Bulletin", which specializes in naval topics.
At the same time, the edition emphasizes that the situation have a positive side for the fishermen the vessel is Russian, it wears the flag colours of Russia, and, respectively, if the way out is found, Russia will provide the repatriation of the crew members home.
