Helping out in the absence of unions

The Reverend Stephen Miller of the Mission to Seafarers in Dubai talks about his work supporting seafarers off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Tell us about your working day.

The day starts off by arriving at the office at about 7.30am and retrieving messages from the answer phone, answering email and the usual office admin. Then if I haven’t received any call for assistance by 9am I go round the ports that I haven’t visited for a time. I cover all the ports in the UAE, which include 14 port areas. Often I am going out to visit a seafarer who hasn’t received his wages for a number of months, or who wants to go home for personal reasons but the company turns the deaf ear. Last week it led to getting involved with a group of cadets who were being assaulted by the captain of their vessel.

How is your work affected by having no local unions or ITF inspectors at the port?

Since there is no ITF presence in the UAE, as union representation is not allowed here, I am the first point of contact for any problem that a seafarer might have. As you might gather, with 14 port areas this can lead to a lot of problem solving and some advocacy, with problems ranging from repatriation and non payment of wages to death on board, and help needed – there is no P&I cover on many of the poorer ships in this area. I manage to cope with most of the problems but having an ITF inspector here would certainly help although that is not likely given the current situation.

What is the situation for seafarers coming in to the east coast ports?

The East Coast is the second largest bunker anchorage in the world, with 100 to 150 ships anchored off shore at any given time. Many of these vessels can be up to 13 miles out and it is too costly for the seafarers or their companies to consider shore leave. To make matters worse, some of these seafarers may not have been paid for months.

Give a recent example of how the Mission has helped seafarers in difficulty.

In January 2006 we were able to help four seafarers, who were stranded unpaid near the coast of Bahrain for over a year, to return home to the Philippines. They had been forced to stay on board and look after their vessel while a financial dispute between the owner and the charterer was resolved. Unfortunately they received no compensation or back pay as the ship was in such a dilapidated condition that it was worthless, even as scrap. They did each receive US$350 from the Mission to Seafarers in Dubai and US$500 from the Bahrain International Seafarers’ Society. Our Mission in Dubai also sent an additional US$150 to their homes in the Philippines. But these of course are drops in the ocean compared to what they are owed in wages.

Do you know of other seafarers in particular difficulty at the moment?

Yes. We have an abandoned tugboat with four Indian crew members off Dubai and a small tanker with 12 crew (including Syrians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis) nearby in Sharjah. None of these crew have been paid for several months and they are dependent on charitable organisations to meet their basic needs.

Are unpaid wages and court cases the main issues you deal with?

Not at all. Our mission to provide welfare assistance to seafarers means spiritual and emotional as well as practical welfare. One of the most recurrent major problems for seafarers is loneliness, which is associated with their long spells at sea. In the case of the mission in Dubai, we are greatly concerned with the thousands of crew who are moored off our shores but cannot come into port. As I said, up to 150 ships are anchored off the shore at any given time. That means as many 2000 seafarers, who lose out on the vital opportunity to communicate with their family and friends.

How can these seafarers be helped?

We have just launched a major new initiative called The Angel Appeal, which aims to raise US$1m by the end of 2006, to build and equip a special vessel. This vessel will be named The Angel. It will operate every week for 72 hours at a time, sailing out to the ships anchored off our coast and allowing seafarers to get off their ships and board for a period of rest and relaxation. The boat will be customised to provide an internet café and other telecommunications, a library with DVDs and books, a clinic with a trained paramedic, and access to pastoral and spiritual support with a dedicated welfare officer.

When will the ship be ready to sail?

We have been amazed by the response so far and have already received many donations. We placed the order for the vessel in February. It will take eight to 10 months to build, so we should have it ready to sail by the end of 2006. This will be a superb achievement to celebrate the end of our international Mission to Seafarers’ 150th anniversary year.

Mission to Seafarers operates in over 300 ports, helping seafarers regardless of race or religion. See www.missiontoseafarers.org