SUR helped the Ukrainian seafarer to repatriate from the ship during the pandemic

The primary trade union organization the SUR in Vladivostok helped the Ch. Engineer from the m/v  S. T. Katharinen (IMO 9689158, Singapore flag) to return to Ukraine during the pandemic. According to the chairman of the organization, Petr Osichanskiy:

On April 19, we received an email from a Ukrainian seafarer. He said that he would like to discharge from the ship as soon as possible due to the expiration of the contract of employment and poor health, but the company considered his repatriation impossible and did not comment on health complaints at all. Ch. Eng added that a chemical tanker  was passing Taiwan bound to the port of Slavyanka in the Primorsky Territory so arrival was scheduled for April 30.

“By the time sefarer contacted the SUR,  he remained on board for the ninth month. As it was found out by the Union represantatives, the owner of  the m/v S. T. Katharinen is the company  Oro Jackson Maritime PTE LTD from Singapore. The crew on board is mixed: in addition to the Ch. Eng, who got a job through the crewing agency from  Sevastopol, there were Filipinos, a Croat, a Burmese, and another Ukrainian”.

“We explained to the seafarer that during a pandemic a shift can only be made for good reason, so he was instructed in detail that first he had to write a report to the captain about the need to visit a doctor and subsequent repatriation,”- said the chairman of the trade union committee. For our part, we contacted the agency company Femtrans Co Ltd.

When in early May the ship called the port of Slavyanka, a Ch. Eng was examined by a doctor and diagnosed with hypertension. He did not need hospitalization, but he needed to be repatriated  as soon as possible. Therefore, the trade union committee applied for the agent in Nakhodka and agreed that as soon as a chemical tanker calls the port, the seafarer will be helped to sign off.

Indeed, upon arrival at Nakhodka, the Ch. Eng was immediately discharged and placed in quarantine for two weeks, which is mandatory for all persons arriving to Russia from abroad.

“The seafarer was settled in apartment with every conviniences, the shipowner took the costs,” added Petr Osichanskiy.  Taking in mind epidemic control measures, the repatriation of the Ukrainian seafarer was taken under control by the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare, immigration and other authorities.

On May 19, the seafarer received a certificate from the physician that the test result for coronavirus is negative. As planned he flew to Moscow, from where he  further proceeded to the city of Sumy.