- Twelve crewmembers onboard oil tanker Viet Tin 01 have been stranded since mid-March.
- They have sent out a distress call through a mobile app used by seafarers globally.
- NUSPM immediately provided food and essential supplies to the ship.
- They have been coordinating with the Vietnamese government to repatriate the seafarers.
- The vessel was abandoned by its owner and it didn’t have fuel left with no power.
According to an article published in Splash247 news, Twelve crewmembers onboard an oil tanker are desperately looking for help as the vessel has been stranded in Malaysian waters since mid-March.
What happened?
The crewmembers belong to the 1985-built 5,500 dwt oil tanker Viet Tin 01 are desperately looking for help as the vessel has been stranded in Malaysian waters since mid-March and they are running out of food and supplies.
The seafarers onboard the vessel wrote “Help us. No food. No salary” on the hull of the vessel in an effort to seek help and they have also sent out a distress call through a mobile app used by seafarers globally.
In response to the distress call, the National Union of Seafarers Peninsular Malaysia’s (NUSPM) immediately provided food and essential supplies to the ship and have been coordinating with the Vietnamese government to repatriate the seafarers.
Vessel abandoned by owners
According to NUSPM, the union has arranged a visit onboard the vessel and learned that the vessel was abandoned by its owner and it didn’t have fuel left which led to terrible living conditions including blackouts and unbearable heat, while the crew members didn’t have enough money to hire a boat to go ashore to purchase food supplies. Additionally, the vessel is posing a navigational hazard.
“While NUSPM tries to establish contact with the vessel owner who has clearly abandoned their responsibility for the wellbeing of their crew and the vessel, we want the Vietnamese government to exercise its responsibilities as a signatory to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) which requires minimum standards to be provided to seafarers and should the owner fail to do so, the government should be able to access funds from the ship owner’s contribution to the Protection and Indemnity (P&I club) coverage,” NUSPM said in a release.
NUSPM urges to pay all wages
Twelve Vietnamese seafarers, including the captain, have been stranded in Malaysian waters in deplorable conditions since they started work aboard the vessel in mid-March this year.
As a signatory to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), it said Vietnam should exercise its responsibilities by accessing funds from the ship owner’s contribution to the Protection and Indemnity (P&I club) coverage.
It added that in a letter to the Vietnam Maritime Administration and the Vietnam Embassy in Malaysia, NUSPM said all the 12 crew members wanted to be repatriated as soon as possible.
NUSPM asked that all back wages be paid to the seafarers immediately as they would not be able to gain employment any time soon in the current climate of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Their plight is very unfortunate because shortly after they started work, the movement control order (MCO) came into effect and the crew was not able to leave the vessel. The seafarers took to writing their cry for help in bold white letters reading: ‘HELP US. NO FOOD. NO SALARY’ on the hull of their vessel. Without a salary, they cannot afford to hire a boat to go ashore, and with the MCO in effect, it’s impossible to leave their vessel to seek food or medical aid,” NUSPM said in a statement yesterday.
Crew supplied with essentials
It supplied the crew with rice and dry food provisions on June 23, accompanied by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
NUSPM added that the owner did not have any fuel and the vessel was in a complete blackout, leaving all those on board to live in unbearable heat during the day and unable to light up during the night, posing a navigational hazard.
NUSPM trying to contact the vessel owner
Linh Nguyen, secretary of the Embassy of Vietnam in Malaysia, said the embassy was trying its best to repatriate the 12 crew members, although it was not possible at the moment because there were no flights between Malaysia and Vietnam.
He added that they had contacted the vessel owner, who also wanted to come to Malaysia to resolve the problem.
“He has asked us for help,” he said.
Linh said the embassy had assigned a representative of the community to visit the crewmen. It has also provided the crew with money to help them buy food and essential items.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
