France seizes Algerian container ship for not paying its sailors

INA-Sources

France seizes Algerian container ship for not paying its sailors

Yesterday, Thursday, the French authorities announced that the container ship “Al-Saoura”, owned by the Algerian National Maritime Company, had been detained since Friday in the port of Brest (west), for not paying the wages of its sailors three months ago.

“The company is probably facing financial difficulties and has not paid for three months the salaries of its 22 crew members, all of whom are of Algerian nationality,” said Rene Kiripel, head of the Brest Center for Ship Safety, the organization responsible for the prevention of marine occupational hazards. The ship is being held under an international agreement to work in the shipping sector.”

The Saoura is a container ship built in 2012 with a length of 120 meters and sailed from Algiers to Antwerp.

The ship will not be able to leave the French port until it pays the fees due and repairs the technical faults detected by the French authorities on board.

“A satellite communications facility is down, as is a ballast system and an LRT system for identifying and tracking long-range ships,” Kiribel said.

He added that the deck cabins were also in poor condition and lacked sheets, blankets and pillows.

For its part, the Association for the Defense of the Sea and Sailors “Moor Glaz” issued a statement saying that “these sailors have been complaining about their living conditions and their inability to provide for their families for months.”

Source: IG News