ITF Reports Unpaid Wages and Supply Shortages for Seven Egyptian Seafarers at Safaga

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) says it has intervened at Safaga port on behalf of seven Egyptian crew members aboard a ship there, following complaints of delayed wages and a lack of provisions, food and medical treatment. The federation described the situation as a breach of the shipowner's obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006), the newspaper Al-Shorouk reported on 18 October.

The ITF's contact officer in Egypt took up the case and is working to settle the dispute between the crew and the owner, the federation said in a statement, with the aim of securing the men's outstanding pay and the basic supplies they need while they remain on board.

What the authorities have done

According to the statement as reported:

• The Egyptian Maritime Authority recorded deficiencies on the vessel and took measures that included detaining the ship, to protect the crew's rights and their overdue wages.
• The Maritime Transport and Logistics Sector followed the case and issued the warnings needed to press the shipping agent to meet its responsibilities.
• The Red Sea Naval Base helped arrange supplies of provisions, food and fuel for the crew, within security and safety requirements.

The ITF also praised the ship's master, Captain Mohamed Soliman, for keeping order on board and submitting the complaint through official channels, which it said allowed the crew's demands to be followed up.

Efforts to reach a final settlement are continuing in coordination with the authorities involved, the federation said. If one is reached the complaint will be closed; if not, the ITF says it will take the steps needed to register the vessel as abandoned, citing what it called the owner's walking away from its responsibilities and obligations to the crew under MLC 2006.

The ship, its flag and its owner were not named in the statement as reported.

The federation said it keeps a contact officer in Egypt available around the clock for urgent seafarer complaints, and called on crews facing similar problems — including delayed wages or shortages of food, water or power — to report quickly through official channels so their cases can be taken up.