The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on Friday, provided palliatives worth a million naira to crew onboard MT ORYX TRADER reportedly anchored on Lagos waters.
The vessel it was gathered has been under detention for three months on Nigerian waters following detention by local authorities.
According to the union a total of eighteen seafarers’ have no means of feeding onboard the ship for the past one week.
The MWUN’s intervention by providing succour for the stranded sailors over the weekend , followed a Save Our Soul messages from the International transport workers Federal (ITF), for the Nigerian union to assist the sailors with relief materials.
President General of Union, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju who swiftly responded to the ITF SoS call; set up an “Emergency Response/Relief Committee “, led by Deputy Vice President General , Comrade Harry Tonye and President,Seamen /NIWA and Water Transport Branch, Comrade Francis Bunu.
Out of the 18 crew on board, 15 are Muslims while 3 are Christians , all foreign nationalities comprising Pakistan and Ukrainian respectively.
Captain being a Pakistan with Ukrainian chief officer.
Speaking on the development,President,Seamen /NIWA and Water Transport Branch, Comrade Francis Bunu said the foreign seamen on outside berth were stranded and hungry and the union had made palliative available for them.
He added that the seafarers are predominantly foreigners crew.
According to him, the crew onboard the vessel which is under litigation, are eighteen in number saying three are Christians while the rest are Muslims.
He stated further that the union was responding to the call of the seafarers whose company is Greek owned adding that injury to one is injury to all.
“The International transport workers Federal (ITF), the global federation of transport unions to which MWUN is affiliated informed us of the situation of the crew on board the vessel MT ORYX TRADER reportedly anchored outside bar due to its arrest by the Nigerian authorities.
“The situation reportedly arose from dispute between two companies.
“Consequently, the eighteen member crew were abandoned and left stranded by the home company located in Greece.
“The crew had been on anchorage for over three months and had run out of water, medications, food, provisions etc.
“On the above basis, the union set up a MWUN EMERGENCY RESPONSE/RELIEF committee to evaluate the situation of the seafarers on board and determine how best for the union to respond.
“Consequently, the response team resolved to immediately solve the issue of lack of food and other necessities for the crew and set out to purchase medications, food, provisions, water, sanitizer etc which were carried by chartered boat to the crew onboard.
“To make this possible comrade Prince Adewale Adeyanju, PG, MWUN and his team approved about a million plus naira to enable the purchase of these items and ensure the survival of our fellow crew on board.
“It is important to note that all the crew on board are foreign nationals, their captain being a Pakistan with Ukrainian chief officer. Out of the 18 crew on board, 15 are Muslims while 3 are Christians,”he added.
By Roland Ekama
