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ITF pressure over vessel missing in Indian Ocean
4 October 2007
The ITF has called for cooperation over the reported disappearance of a vessel after it left Dubai in June, bound for the Seychelles; 14 crewmembers are reported to be on board.
The Reef Azaria, registered in St Vincent and Grenadines and operated by the United Arab Emirates-based Zambezi Shipping Agency, left Dubai on 18 June for the Seychelles. It is believed that the agent last made contact with the vessel on 24 July, when it was located off the coast of Somalia. On board the vessel are eight Tanzanians, two Burmese, two Indians, and two Pakistanis.
The ITF, responding to concerns raised by the ITF-affiliated union, the Pakistan Merchant Navy Officers' Association, contacted the shipping agency last week calling for “openness and cooperation”. It also demanded further information about the search for the missing vessel, which could be forwarded to the crewmembers’ families.
Finlay Mcintosh, ITF Actions Unit, commented: “There are still a lot of unanswered questions and we are demanding that these are addressed by the company. The families of the missing seafarers are suffering because they do not understand what has happened to their loved ones. Our main concern is the whereabouts of the seafarers and what is being done to find them.”
There is no evidence to date to suggest that the vessel has sunk or that it has succumbed to piracy.
Reports of a second missing vessel, the Panamanian-flagged Infinity Marine 1, owned by Infinity Marine Services in Dubai, have also been filed by Pakistan Merchant Navy Officers' Association. Twenty-three seafarers are believed to be on board.
General Secretary of the union, Sheikh Mohammad Iqbal commented: “The owners of these flag of convenience vessels are reluctant to pass on any information. They appear to be more concerned about cashing in their insurance claims than helping the families of the seafarers to find out what has happened.”
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