The work of Russian seafarers costs more than they are paid on board MV Masakazu

Today, Inspectors of the Far Eastern Territorial Organization of the Seafarers’ Union of Russia (FETO SUR) visited MV Masakazu (flag of Tanzania, IMO 9119062), berthed at Nakhodka sea commercial port under unloading general cargo from Shanghai, to inspect  working and living conditions provided for our compatriots on board.

According to the FETO SUR Chairman, the ship’s crew consists of 17 Russians, all have individual contracts. In case of a crew member's death during a voyage, his family will be paid an insurance payout in the amount of USD20,000. 

The salary for an AB Seaman is USD1,250, a captain’s salary range is USD4,000-5,000. Daily meal allowance is USD7 per a crew member. There are insurance certificates, required in accordance with the Maritime Labor Convention 2006, on board MV Masakazu. Nikolay Sukhanov noted that the seafarer’s profession is hazardous, complicated and socially essential, and therefore it must be paid properly, which is not the case with the working conditions on board that Tanzania-flagged vessel.

He continued: “We hold a meeting with off-duty seafarers and told them that a characteristic feature of the legislation of flag-of-convenience countries is that they do not regulate important issues of seafarers' employment and do not offer a supervisory system. The fact is that, the wellbeing of the crew cannot be a source of income for a flag of convenience country, so it is no wonder that the ship's registers do not provide establishing of supervisory services to monitoring the conditions of employment as national legislations do. In the absence of control, shipowners set their own rules for their fleet. Seafarers employed on flag-of-convenience ships are denied basic human rights because such registries do not enforce the minimum social guarantees relied upon by maritime unions around the world. Trade unions demand that seafarers’ work be paid decently, that wages take into account that the seafarer’s profession is hazardous, complicated and socially essential: for example, a salary for an AB Seaman working on board a flag of convenience vessel should be at least USD1,836, and the insurance amount in case of death during a voyage should be at least USD110,000”. 

Note that the registered owner of the vessel is Edwan C LTD from Belize, the operator and beneficial shipowner is “LAM” from Nakhodka, which signs contracts with seamen in the name and on behalf of the Japanese company Marino Trading Co. Ltd.

The head of FETO SUR said that the companies “LAM” and Marino Trading are well known in the trade union. About 10 years ago, seven seafarers, who were working for LAM, applied to the organization with a request to assist in recovering salary debt in the amount of USD33,000. Then the company shifted the responsibility for payment to Marino Trading, which in fact had nothing to do with the debts. LAM paid the debt after the initiation of a criminal case only. In a letter of gratitude to FETO SUR, the seafarers who received the money noted that repeated appeals to the company regarding the payment of money did not produce results, and only after joining the trade union did they receive the full amount.

At the end of the meeting on board MV Masakazu, the SUR Inspectors gave the crew members books about work on vessels under flags of convenience, the latest issues of the “Maritime Unions Herald” telling about the activities of the Seafarers' Union of Russian, and the FETO SUR calendars for 2024.

The crew of MV Masakazu  asked the union representatives to enter into negotiations with LAM to conclude a collective agreement. The crew thanked the Union for its attention to the needs and concerns of seafarers working on board FOC's vessels.