VLADIVOSTOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd January, 2021) Crew members of the Russian-flagged fish refrigerator trawler "Nikolay Solodchuk" moored at the Walvis Bay port in Namibia, who have earlier applied to the Far Eastern Territorial Organization of the Seafarers' Union of Russia (SUR FETO) for help in recovering their wages and repatriation, are being paid up and sent home, Nikolay Sukhanov, the SUR FETO chairman, told Sputnik on Sunday.
In the fall of 2020, Sukhanov told Sputnik that Russian sailors asked for assistance in repatriation and paying off wage arrears worth 20 million rubles ($270,200). The crew members have said that they had not received any wages since February of last year. In December, one of the sailors returned home, while the rest of the crew stayed on board. Almost all sailors have had the coronavirus disease.
"Today, six of 10 sailors of the 'Nikolay Solodchuk' ship flew home. Five of them have been paid in full, the sixth sailor is still being transferred his money. The rest of the crew remained on board to organize the unloading of the cargo. Upon completion of unloading, after January 6, they will fly to Russia. Five others have already arrived. The rest will be replaced soon," Sukhanov said.
Eleven Russian crew members were employed for work onboard the trawler between August 2019 and February 2020. Their employment contracts were concluded for six months.
