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Ship detained in Spanish port
12 March 2008
 |  |  view larger image | | | ITF inspector German Arias, who responded to complaints from crew on board the Newfane | |
A vessel berthed in the Spanish port of Castellon has been detained by port authorities, following an inspection by the ITF.
ITF inspector German Arias went on board the 17-year-old Panamanian flagged vessel, Newfane, after crew members complained that they had very little food or drinkable water on board. They also said that they were not being paid wages in accordance with their ITF contract of employment, nor for the long hours of extra overtime they had to work.
Arias revealed that the seafarers were being forced to sign false individual and collective wage accounts and overtime records - what the ITF terms “double bookkeeping”.
Twelve of the 22 Ukrainian crewmembers, who are owed wages and compensation of approximately US$97,000, have asked to be repatriated to their home country. They fear that the company will force them to sail the vessel against their will and have called on the Spanish port authorities to intervene to prevent this.
The vessel, which is believed to have more than 20 defects, has now been detained by Spanish Port State Control. The ship’s poor safety record and history of problems with crew have in the past resulted in several detentions by port state control authorities in other European states.
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