MV “Liza” has been inspected in Nakhodka

On January 18, Inspectors of  Far Eastern Territorial Organization of Seafarers’ Union of Russia (FETO SUR) visited the MV “Liza”, berthed in Nakhodka for loading pig iron destined for the ports of Taiwan.

The MV "Liza" (IMO 9113032) is flying the Russian flag, its registered owner is a Nakhodka-based company "Esperanto Co. Ltd", the operator and the beneficial owner, responsible for payment wages to the crew, is a company "Liza LLC" also Nakhodka-based. 

The ship's crew consists of 13 Russian seafarers  from different regions of Russia. The captain and the third engineer are from Moscow, the second engineer is from Crimea, the rest are from the Russian Far East. There is no collective agreement on board. 

The salary of an AB Seaman is RUB130,000, and a captain's salary is RUB400,000. 

The seafarers receive their wages on their personal bank cards. The company pays all taxes due, including social insurance and pension fund contributions. Thus, all seafarers are insured by the social insurance fund.  Insurance certificates, as required by the Maritime Labor Convention 2006, are available on board, but the crew members are not aware of  the insurance payout amount in case of death. There are employment contracts, but they also do not stipulate the insurance amounts due to family members of the deceased seafarer in accordance with the insurance certificates of the Alpha Insurance company.

Daily food allowance is RUB600 per crew member. There are no complaints about food rations or delays in wage payments.

We told the crew members  who were off-duty and gathered in a mess-room about the activities of the Seafarers' Union of Russia and the intended tasks for the coming year.

FETO SUR believes that the priority of the SUR's activities is the implementation by the Russian Federation of the requirements of the Maritime Labor Convention 2006.

According to Nikolay Sukhanov, it is necessary to make a proposal to the Government of the Russian Federation to approve a new simplified form of a seafarer’s employment agreement in accordance with the requirements of the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 with specific figures, that is, the minimum basic pay for able seafarers working on board Russian flagged vessels, in accordance with the recommendations of the International Labor Organization. Shipowners are required to insure the life and health of a seaman in accordance with Article 60, paragraph 2 of the Merchant Shipping Code. All Seaman's Employment Agreements should indicate the insurance amount that is paid to a seafarer in case of their injury or disability, as well as the insurance payout to family members of a seafarer deceased during the period of the employment. It is also necessary to continue work to amend Russian legislation in accordance with the requirements of the Maritime Labor Convention 2006. Many regulatory documents require revision, for example those concerning the work and rest of seafarers, the remuneration system, a sample seafarer’s employment agreement. The SUR representatives answered all the seafarers' questions and gave the crew the latest issues of the “Maritime Unions Herald” magazine, FETO SUR calendars for 2024 and books on the FETO SUR activities. The crew members thanked the SUR representatives or the information provided and for their work to improve working conditions and increase the wages of seafarers.