VLADIVOSTOK, October 8. /TASS/. Ukrainian crew of the Greek Go Skar ship flying the Liberian flag has gone on strike over wage arrears. The ship bound for China with a load of coal has been anchored at the Nakhodka seaport in Russia’s Far East, a Russian sailors trade union leader told TASS on Thursday.
After the crew went on strike on October 1 demanding repayment of 150,000 U.S. dollars in delayed wages, the ship owner, Greece’s Marina Spirit SA, partially repaid the debt.
"Today, the ship was loaded with coal. Five of its crew members were repaid their delayed wages and quitted their jobs, two new members of the crew were hired. After partial repayment of wage arrears, the ship with a crew of 18 laid out and 40,000 tonnes of coal onboard and anchored at the port," Nikolai Sukhanov, the leader of the Far Eastern seamen trade union organization, said, adding that the crew had said they would not sail off until they were paid all that was due to them.
According to Sukhanov, wage arrears stand at 56,000 U.S. dollars. He said the organization’s lawyer was preparing documents to the Nakhodka court to detain the ship.
Ukraine’s consulate general in Novosibirsk is keeping an eye on the situation.