Ray
8 seafarers abandoned on the Ray (IMO 8222434, flag United Republic of Tanzania) in Durres, Albania, 1 April 2025. ILO case 1298, status: Resolved.
- Status
- Resolved
- Abandonment ID
- 1298
- IMO Number
- 8222434
- Flag
- United Republic of Tanzania
- Port of Abandonment
- Durres, Albania
- Abandonment Date
- 1 April 2025
- Notification Date
- 9 April 2025
- Seafarers
- 8
- Reporting Org.
- International Transport Workers' Federation
Circumstances
Crew owed 2 months unpaid wages (February and March 2025)
There is a lack of provisions on board and no captain or chief officer on the vessel,
(updated) The ship’s crew is unpaid since 4 February 2025. Problems with provisions and fresh water supply. Crew’s contracts expired. There is no Master nor Chief Officer onboard. Crew’s SIDs were taken by the ship’s Master on leaving the ship and reportedly handed over to the shipowner.
Seafarers applied to insurer?: No
Insurance certificate dates: TBC
Updates
31 July 2025: International Transport Workers' Federation
All crew were paid and repatriated. Resolved.
23 April 2025: International Maritime Organisation
Since there is still no response from the Tanzania/ Zanzibar flag administration,
we would be very grateful to receiving further comments from the authorities of the flag State United Republic of Tanzania (Zanzibar), as already requested last week in the notifications sent by IMO on 14 April 2025 and 17 April 2025.
23 April 2025: International Transport Workers' Federation
(From the ITF inspector, Malta)
While I thank you for your intervention through your emails, I would like to inform you that yesterday afternoon, the passports were returned to the crew by the same boat which delivered lubrication oil for the generator which was about to shut down. This, following an intervention with the Harbour Master’s office, and the captain which had left the ship.
The situation regarding the payment of wages and request for repatriation remains the same as well as the situation of the lack of officers of the watch. The Harbour’s Master’s office said he hopes that the situation will be soon resolved. In the meantime there was no response from the Tanzania/ Zanzibar flag administration.
17 April 2025: International Transport Workers' Federation
(From the ITF inspector, Malta)
Good morning. I am forwarding you an email which I have sent to email addresses supposedly pertaining the Tanzania/ Zanzibar flag administration. I have even sent WhatsApp messages to two numbers which I know for sure that they belong to persons within the administration. Similar emails have also been sent to the Port Authority/ Harbour Master of Durres in Albania.
Tanzania flag administration have not even acknowledged receipt of my email, while the Harbour Master, replied by sending messages me by WhatsApp and by supplying about 10 days provisions to the 8 crew on board ( 1 Pakistani and 7 Egyptians).
The vessel reached Durres anchorage are on the 5th March 2025. The Master and the Chief Officer left the vessel. Upon leaving the vessel, the Albanian captain took most of the ship’s documents and the crew’s passports. I have exchanged messages with this captain and urged him to return the passports to the crew but until now, he has not.
The crew are now owed more than two months’ of wages and are requesting to be repatriated however, they cannot avail themselves to the MLC financial securities since the P&I certificate expired on the 4th of January 2025.
The ITF is not at all convinced that both the Tanzania administration and the Durres port authority are doing their utmost to assist and protect the crew, who besides being in a state of abandonment, are left without the mandatory financial securities thus completely exposed even in the event of illness, injury or deaths. The vessel is undermanned, without navigational officers and having the watches carried out only by the Bosun and the AB on a rotational continuous 6 hour watch. They have also been left on the vessel as prisoners without their passports.
We would appreciate if the ILO could intervene with both authorities for them to exert the appropriate measures on the ship owner to bring this predicament to an end.
14 April 2025: International Transport Workers' Federation
No action/response from the flag State or Ro Marine yet.
The shipowner replied saying that the crew payment and repatriation would be arranged during the week commencing 7th April 2025