Walvis Bay vessel ghosted by owners
JANA-MARI SMITH
At least 22 crew aboard the fishing vessel Sheriff, anchored off Walvis Bay, have reportedly been without pay since mid-February after the Namibian company leasing the vessel ended their charter agreement with the Peruvian ship owners from whom they had leased the vessel.
In unconfirmed reports by Russian online media, it was further alleged that the crew members recently pleaded for assistance about their deteriorating living conditions on board the vessel to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), saying they were struggling with food, water and fuel shortages.
Udo Burger, managing director at Atlantic Pacific Management in Walvis Bay, the company that manages Brandberg Namibian Investment Company, yesterday confirmed Atlantic Pacific Management had ended the charter agreement.
“We no longer charter the vessel and as a result, are no longer responsible for it,” he said.
Burger said additional questions sent to him by Namibian Sun would be answered at a later stage, including questions around the responsibility for the crew’s living conditions since the lease was ended, and why the lease was ended.
According to Russian embassy officials in Windhoek, they are aware of the situation on the Sheriff, and have been in close contact with the 13 Russian crew members, who have been on board with at least nine other crew members since February.
“Today there are 22 members of the crew on board of the vessel, 13 of them are Russian citizens. The Russian embassy is in close contact with them as well as with other relevant authorities and parties, including the issue of their return home to Russia,” Yury Tsvetkov, spokesperson at the embassy told Namibian Sun.
Tsvetkov said he was not aware of any complaints from the crew about a lack of water, food and fuel, but emphasised that the embassy was in touch with them and would be advised if such issues arose.
He explained that according to the information at hand, the Sheriff is a Peruvian registered vessel, whose contract with the local Namibian tenant ended on 15 February.
Documents seen by Namibian Sun show that the ship-owners are listed as J.Wiludi & Asociados Consultores En Pesca S.A.C., a Peruvian subsidiary of the China Fishing Group, a company that was embroiled in a bankruptcy case in a US court last year.
Tsvetkov explained that according to the available information, the Peruvian owners have been “avoiding contact with the local companies and the crew of the vessel”.
Tsvetkov, added that it appears the Sheriff is “abandoned or ownerless” at the moment.
This was repeated by numerous sources at Walvis Bay yesterday, who said that it appears that no one has taken full responsibility for the remaining 22 crew members to ensure their needs are met and it was not clear how to resolve the matter.
It was however confirmed, that when the lease ended in February, 120 crew were on board, many of them Namibians, who have since returned home. No further details could be acquired to date.
The details surrounding the end of the lease agreement remain unclear to date.
It is confirmed that legal representatives, acting on behalf of J.Wilundi & Asociados Consultores En Pesca S.A.C., or the mother company China Fishery Group, did reach out after mid-February asking for assistance with crew and other related issues after the lease agreement ended in February.
Attempts to contact representatives for J.Wilundi are on-going, though none could be reached by the time of going to print.
To date it remains unclear what arrangements were made to assist the remaining crew, and what will happen to the vessel.
Moreover, South Pacific Shipping Agency Limited, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, signed the original charter or lease agreement with J.Wilundi & Asociados Consultores En Pesca S.A.C., the ship-owners.
It was confirmed that South Pacific Shipping Agency Limited, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, whose director is listed as Chan Tak Hei, was the company that entered into the original charter agreement with J.Wilundi, in August 2013.
The agreement was renewed at least three times, at yearly intervals.
Questions sent to NamPort yesterday were not responded to by the time of going to print.
At least 22 crew aboard the fishing vessel Sheriff, anchored off Walvis Bay, have reportedly been without pay since mid-February after the Namibian company leasing the vessel ended their charter agreement with the Peruvian ship owners from whom they had leased the vessel.
In unconfirmed reports by Russian online media, it was further alleged that the crew members recently pleaded for assistance about their deteriorating living conditions on board the vessel to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), saying they were struggling with food, water and fuel shortages.
Udo Burger, managing director at Atlantic Pacific Management in Walvis Bay, the company that manages Brandberg Namibian Investment Company, yesterday confirmed Atlantic Pacific Management had ended the charter agreement.
“We no longer charter the vessel and as a result, are no longer responsible for it,” he said.
Burger said additional questions sent to him by Namibian Sun would be answered at a later stage, including questions around the responsibility for the crew’s living conditions since the lease was ended, and why the lease was ended.
According to Russian embassy officials in Windhoek, they are aware of the situation on the Sheriff, and have been in close contact with the 13 Russian crew members, who have been on board with at least nine other crew members since February.
“Today there are 22 members of the crew on board of the vessel, 13 of them are Russian citizens. The Russian embassy is in close contact with them as well as with other relevant authorities and parties, including the issue of their return home to Russia,” Yury Tsvetkov, spokesperson at the embassy told Namibian Sun.
Tsvetkov said he was not aware of any complaints from the crew about a lack of water, food and fuel, but emphasised that the embassy was in touch with them and would be advised if such issues arose.
He explained that according to the information at hand, the Sheriff is a Peruvian registered vessel, whose contract with the local Namibian tenant ended on 15 February.
Documents seen by Namibian Sun show that the ship-owners are listed as J.Wiludi & Asociados Consultores En Pesca S.A.C., a Peruvian subsidiary of the China Fishing Group, a company that was embroiled in a bankruptcy case in a US court last year.
Tsvetkov explained that according to the available information, the Peruvian owners have been “avoiding contact with the local companies and the crew of the vessel”.
Tsvetkov, added that it appears the Sheriff is “abandoned or ownerless” at the moment.
This was repeated by numerous sources at Walvis Bay yesterday, who said that it appears that no one has taken full responsibility for the remaining 22 crew members to ensure their needs are met and it was not clear how to resolve the matter.
It was however confirmed, that when the lease ended in February, 120 crew were on board, many of them Namibians, who have since returned home. No further details could be acquired to date.
The details surrounding the end of the lease agreement remain unclear to date.
It is confirmed that legal representatives, acting on behalf of J.Wilundi & Asociados Consultores En Pesca S.A.C., or the mother company China Fishery Group, did reach out after mid-February asking for assistance with crew and other related issues after the lease agreement ended in February.
Attempts to contact representatives for J.Wilundi are on-going, though none could be reached by the time of going to print.
To date it remains unclear what arrangements were made to assist the remaining crew, and what will happen to the vessel.
Moreover, South Pacific Shipping Agency Limited, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, signed the original charter or lease agreement with J.Wilundi & Asociados Consultores En Pesca S.A.C., the ship-owners.
It was confirmed that South Pacific Shipping Agency Limited, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, whose director is listed as Chan Tak Hei, was the company that entered into the original charter agreement with J.Wilundi, in August 2013.
The agreement was renewed at least three times, at yearly intervals.
Questions sent to NamPort yesterday were not responded to by the time of going to print.
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