Abdul Nasser Saleh says he rarely got a good night’s sleep during the near-decade he spent working without pay on a cargo ship abandoned by its owner at ports along the Red Sea.
An Associated Press review has found more than 2,000 seafarers were stranded last year across some 150 ships - the worst year on record. This image from video provided by Abdul Nasser Saleh shows him in his bedroom aboard the cargo ship Al-Maha at the seaport of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia , in January 2024. Saleh says he rarely got a good night’s sleep during the near-decade he spent working without pay on a cargo ship abandoned by its owner at ports along the Red Sea.
Crew members or the countries where the ships are registered or docked can pursue the shipowners in court. But recovering past wages can be a yearslong battle that often fails. Saleh ran laps along the deck at sunrise and sunset. Every day he clocked 1,500 meters, while around him mammoth container ships arrived and departed from the busy port as his situation stayed the same. His debts accumulated from years of borrowing money to help his family pay rent.“I can’t tell day from night anymore,” he said in a video recording he shared with the AP in January while still aboard the ship, filmed as the day’s light faded and a pinkish glow cast over the harbor.
In 2022, Teeters Agency & Stevedoring, a family-run company registered in Florida, dumped two 1970s-era cargo vessels — the Monarch Princess and Monarch Countess — that for years operated as a bridge for sending beat-up cars, cheap electronics and other goods to Haiti. The two ships were flagged to registries run by small island nations — Vanuatu, located east of Australia, and St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean — criticized by watchdog groups for lax oversight and financial secrecy.
The ship’s captain, Ievgen Slautin, said although he was still owed around $15,000, he thanked God he was abandoned in the United States.Neither Teeters nor a lawyer who once represented the company returned emails or phone calls seeking comment. The regulations are aimed at encouraging countries to thoroughly vet shipowners — and spot risks — before ships are registered under their flag.
The uneven regulations also influence the ports where ships are abandoned most often. More than a quarter of recent cases have taken place in Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, which haven’t agreed to the abandonment language in the maritime convention. When the ship sailed to Jeddah for repairs in June of 2022, Saleh expected his situation to finally turn around. He and the shipowner signed a settlement, reviewed by the AP, acknowledging that the company would pay him $140,000 to cover his overdue wages. He said he was told the ship would soon resume its normal trade routes.
Officials in Saudi Arabia gave little indication that they would resolve Saleh’s case quickly, Arrachedi said, despite the rusting vessel standing out like an eyesore in the country’s most important port. Dagalea, 49, urged his family to be patient. “I cannot support you right now because I am stuck here,” he said he told them.
McAdam’s Fish acknowledged the payment delays but blamed Pescadores International, a recruitment agency based in the Philippines, for being slow to disburse the six months of wages that McAdam’s said it had paid the agency in advance. Rob McAdam, the owner of McAdam’s, said much of his crew had worked for him for years because of the opportunity to earn good money. But last season’s catch was the worst on record, making it impossible to pay the same catch bonuses as in the past.
During those three months in Westport, before they complained, Dagalea’s crewmates faced similar strains, the fishermen and their families said. Richard Zambales wasn’t sure he would be able to pay for his wife’s heart medication. Albert Docuyan’s wife moved from the Philippines to Malaysia to find work that could pay the fees for their children’s school. Norberto Cabrela missed the birth of his son, then scrambled to find the money to pay the hospital bills.
United Nations Labor General News A Saudi Arabia World News U.S. News N Jiddah Tanzania Associated Press Togo F Business World News U.S. News
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden is stuck — and Democrats are stuck with himBiden's problem has less to do with media critics than with deepening skepticism about his capacities being openly expressed by Democrats themselves.
Read more »
‘We are stuck in Gaza,’ 10 American doctors stuck in Rafah hospital after border closureA team of doctors, including at least 10 Americans, is stuck at a hospital in Gaza following Israel’s ground operation in Rafah.
Read more »
Jets coach Robert Saleh gets more involved with offenseSaleh, known for his defensive mind, has made his presence felt more with the offense as he evolves in Year 4.
Read more »
Jets schedule: 49ers season-opener brings big storylines for Aaron Rodgers, Robert SalehWe know the New York Jets' first opponent of the 2024 season. And it's a good one.
Read more »
New York Jets' Rodgers, Saleh Return Home for Week 1 MNF vs. 49ersThe New York Jets' Week 1 matchup was revealed on Tuesday morning and a meeting with the Super Bowl runner-up is on tap.
Read more »
Robert Saleh Gives Encouraging Update on New York Jets' Plan for RodgersIt seems like the New York Jets are ready to have their quarterback full available for their offseason program.
Read more »