At the end of November 2023, the deprivation of 13 Syrian sailors working on the general cargo ship named Alraqeem, which was banned from sailing by court decision and abandoned by its shipowner when it hit and damaged the buoys and pipelines extending into the sea at Akpet Fuel Mersin Terminal, has finally ended.
Seafarers were able to return home at the end of July 2024, eight months after being stranded, thanks to the intervention of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Türkiye Representation. The sale process of the ship continues in court.
ITF Türkiye Inspector Kenan Dinç explained what happened to HaberDenizi.com as follows:
The shipowner cannot pay the debt
“The general cargo ship named Alraqeem hit and damaged the buoys and pipelines extending into the sea at Akpet Fuel Mersin Terminal at the end of November 2023, off the coast of Mersin Port. As a result of the application of the company that suffered losses, Alraqeem is banned from sailing by court decision. The shipowner cannot pay this debt. Since he cannot pay, the ship remains stationary off the coast of Mersin for months. The shipowner is a company called Alraqeem Shipping SA. The ship’s International Safety Management company is Lord Maritime Maritime Ltd. Şti”
P&I shirked responsibility
“After the court decision, seafarers are practically abandoned by the shipowner. Namely, one of the shipowner’s partners was Syrian and we were in contact with him during this process. But he was not taking any concrete steps. The ship’s P&I club was ARSENAL-KYRGYZSTAN Insurance Company. But he also canceled the policy. This company appears as the insurance company of all problematic ships we encounter. He avoids responsibility or fails to fulfill his duty by canceling the policy. “We think that this insurance company should be removed from the list by Türkiye.”
They didn’t even have drinking water
“The entire crew was Syrian. The shipowner sent some provisions to the ship, which was left without water and provisions, under the pressure of the ITF. But again it was below standards. While he did not pay the salaries of the seafarers in any way, he did not take any steps for their return to their country. The sailors were abandoned to their fate. The ship was in very bad condition. The seafarers were in psychological depression. Some days there was not even drinking water. He had already kept the crew busy with his promises for a long time. The crew believed this at first, but when there was no improvement after five months, they asked for help from us as the ITF.”
They couldn’t leave the port either
“Because they were Syrian nationals, they were not allowed to leave the port directly. We also applied for a visa and took over the process for the crew to return home. In coordination with the port authority, the crew were sent home in July 2024 after being stranded on the ship for eight months, with all expenses including flight tickets, visas, accommodation, transportation to the airport and food needs being covered by the ITF during the crew’s return to their country.”
