This case study involves the 1988-built, 9,939 dwt chemical/products tanker ‘Ocean Pride’ (IMO 8520989). The vessel is owned by Sharjah-based Alco Shipping Services. The Equasis database is showing the vessel’s management as Thaimarine Tanker of Bangkok.
Her crew comprised one Pakistani, six Indian, one Bangladeshi and one Sri Lankan. They are currently stranded on an increasingly dangerous vessel, anchored off the coast of UAE, the organisation claimed.
The ‘Ocean Pride’s’ crew have had their basic human rights breached, with a lack of liberty, lack of protection for their health and bodily integrity, lack of protection for their right to life, and lack of family life, due to their retention on the vessel.
In addition, throughout their ordeal the crew have been denied access to proper and timely medical treatment. They have not been provided with suitable facilities, food, water, or medical supplies and their health and well being has been severely damaged as a result, Human Rights at Sea said.
Despite the intervention of the Indian Consulate in Dubai, at the time of writing (Tuesday), the crew remain unable to leave their vessel and are without access to suitable food and water.
Human Rights at Sea CEO, David Hammond, commented: "I am very thankful to our team for working so hard in rapidly compiling this new expose of an issue that many in the shipping industry would prefer did not reach the eyes and ears of general public.
The continued closed nature and lack of transparency surrounding such human rights abuses would simply not be tolerated in other industries who in stark contrast, have pro-actively pursued a publicly open ‘know and show’ approach to known problems within their supply chains. Seafarers do matter and we hope that conditions will change on board very soon," he said.
This exposure comes after the ‘2017 Day of the Seafarer’ on 25th June where the campaign focus was billed as ‘Seafarers Matter’.
On 26th June, the first International Workshop for the Fair Treatment of Seafarers was held at the IMO at which, Secretary General, Kitak Lim, said: "Seafarers are human and it is their right – their absolute right – to be treated fairly in all circumstances."