Sailors are in distress on a ship near the port in Ruse. The vessel is arrested, and the crew has no money for food or to return home. The lawyer of the sailors, most of whom are Ukrainians, reported to Nova TV. The ship sails under the Dutch flag, but the company that hired the crew is Romanian with Ukrainian participation.
The crew confirmed that they didn't even have electricity because they ran out of fuel. The five sailors have not been paid for months, they say.
The Red Cross and the fire department helped us, Vladi said.
Lawyer Ilian Iliev explained that according to the Merchant Shipping Code, when workers' wages are not paid, the ship can be impounded. “For this reason the sailors contacted me. The ship has been arrested by our court with a protective order," Iliev explained.
He assured that all possible steps have been taken to contact the owner of the vessel.
„The ship is already in distress, abandoned by the owner. We have been corresponding for 2 weeks to find out who the owner is. "He has no desire to pay salaries," Iliev explained.