Hanoi: Harrowing reports of desperate stranded Vietnamese seafarers in China have emerged in local media. Nine sailors onboard the Sea Eagle owned by bankrupt Vinashin Ocean Shipping Company (Vinashinlines) managed to get in touch with a local Vietnamese media firm to describe their plight as well as post a video of daily conditions onboard.
The seafarers have received no pay for the last 18 months, and the ship has been moored in Chinese waters for five years now. It is one of around six stranded Vinashinlines’ ships around the world.
The video available here shows the seafarers on the Sea Eagle are living with serious shortages of food, electricity and medicines. Most also suffer from skin and digestive problems. The ship has electricity for only five hours a day and the water is so polluted with metals and rust that the sailors have resorted to filtering it by hand. Supplies sent to the ship are regularly out of date.
One seafarer onboard said: “We know that Vinashinlines is facing difficulties, but we can’t bear this situation anymore. We hope that the government and agencies, especially the Minister of Transport, Dinh La Thang, would make an effort to create better conditions needed for Vinashinlines to sell off the ships which are not in operation and to maintain those ships which are." [05/08/13]
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