Press Release
1 July 2019
London. UK. At the time of writing in a rapidly developing phase to the current matter which should herald the end of the abandonment of the remaining crew onboard the UAE flagged MV Tamim Aldar, the remaining four seafarers (two Indian, two Eritrean) are currently under tow back to the UAE coast and port facilities.
Last night, Second Engineer, Vikas Mishra, who has been abandoned for 33 months and not seen his family or his daughter since she was nine months old, gave the following recorded testimony to Human Rights at Sea which is published with permission.
This case, and several related abandonment cases in the region, have been well-documented for industry, UN agency and public awareness.
With the support of the UAE Federal transport Authority, lawyers from Fitche & Co, the Rev. Andy Bowerman of The Mission to Seafarers, numerous international media outlets, civil society organisations and supporters, the present case appears to drawing to a close.
Whether or not the remaining crew receive all wages owed under employment contracts from the owners, Eliteway Marines Services Ltd, is still yet to be determined.
Founder, David Hammond, commented: “This shocking testimony by a professional Indian seafarer is one which needs to be heard, reviewed and used as an example highlighting the terrible conditions suffered by ordinary seafarers who have been abandoned by their owners for whatever reason. It is not often that the public are able to hear such evidence first-hand.”
Important Note to Readers
Human Rights at Sea continues to publish educational materials, publications, investigative case studies of individual and family testimony highlighting unacceptable conditions onboard vessels of all tonnages, as well as throughout the associated maritime supply chain, in order to establish greater public awareness of the issues raised without compromising our editorial freedom.
The charity does not subscribe to any imposed protocols and agreements with other entities effectively limiting the ability to report freely and objectively disclose facts, including the reality of unacceptable labour, and wider human rights abuses at sea.
The charity will therefore continue to take a legal and moral stand whenever and wherever it can to fairly advocate for the betterment of human rights, working conditions, and the reduction in abuse at sea. This includes pressing issues such as the criminalisation of seafarers and humanitarian rescuers, abuses towards migrants, impunity of flag States in transparently reacting to and addressing reported abuse, the expansion of the positive contributory role of civil society organisations in the maritime sector, and the provision of greater awareness of effective remedies when abuse occurs.
Our Ask in return
We rely on public and private donations to be able to continue this invaluable and independent work free of bias and interference and every donation, however small or large, goes to assure continuation of our transparent and objective front-end work ensuring that ‘human rights apply at sea, as they do on land’. Thank you.