SUR assisted in repatriation of the ashes of seafarers

In May, family members of two seafarers worked on board fishing vessels operated by the company "Tefida", approached the Primary Organization of Vladivostok of the Seafarers' Union of Russia. 

The sister of the seafarer, who died on December 28, 2023 on board the vessel Perseus in the port of Shidao (China), contacted the Union on the 15th of May, and the wife of the crew member of the vessel Prometheus, who died in Shidao on December 10, 2023, applied to the Union on the 16th of May. As it turned out, the shipowner did not provide the families with information about what happened to the seafarers. 

Furthermore, prior to the intervention of SUR, the issue of returning the ashes from China to Russia remained unresolved. 

Having talked with the sister and widow of the deceased seafarers, the Chairman of the SUR Primary Organization of Vladivostok Petr Osichansky decided to send letters to the Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vladivostok. The responses to these letters, indicating that the cases had been accepted for processing, were received on the 22nd and 23rd of May.

Also, the Union found out that the company "Tefida" has six vessels that are under arrest and are banned from a re-registration. Then the Union contacted the Primorsky Transport Prosecutor's Office.

All this brought the long-awaited result: the relatives of the deceased seafarers reported that the ashes had finally been delivered to Russia.

-This issue can be considered resolved, - the Chairman of the SUR Primary Organization of Vladivostok Petr Osichansky said. -Now the families are concerned about another issue - how to get insurance compensation due to the loss of breadwinners.

Photo: author Dmitry Bardovsky