Six cases of seafarer abandonment by foreign commercial vessel operators have been reported in Taiwan since 2018, two of which remain unresolved, the Maritime and Port Bureau said on Sunday.
According to the International Maritime Organization, “abandonment occurs when the shipowner fails to fulfil certain fundamental obligations to the seafarer relating to timely repatriation and payment of outstanding remuneration, and to the provision of basic necessities of life.”
The six cases were caused by problems with vessels or salary disputes between sailors and employers, the bureau said in a news statement.
One case was reported in 2018, three in 2019 and two last year, the bureau said, adding that no cases have been reported so far this year.
Four of the cases have been settled and the vessels involved have left Taiwan, it said.
Of the two cases that remain unresolved, one involves a Belize-registered cargo ship, which has been stuck at the Port of Taipei since October 2019, and the other involves a Sierra Leone-registered cargo ship, which became stranded off Changhua County in December 2019, it said.
The statement came after local media reported that cases of seafarer abandonment in Taiwan increased sharply last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A separate media report said that the eight sailors aboard the Belize-registered cargo ship have not received their salaries since last year.
They have only one electric fan on the ship and survive on food delivered every two weeks by a man claiming to be a friend of the ship’s owner, the report said.
The bureau said that of the eight sailors, four were recently placed in a quarantine hotel, while the others remain on the ship.
It is coordinating with the International Transport Workers’ Federation to ask the shipowner and its insurance company to settle the salary dispute, the bureau said.
It is also examining the possibility of punishing the shipowner in accordance with Commercial Port Law (商港法), it said.
The Sierra Leone-registered ship has been freed and is undergoing repairs at the Port of Kaohsiung, the bureau said.
The bureau is arranging flights for its two Burmese crew members to send them home, it said.
The repatriation expenses of abandoned seafarers are supposed to be shouldered by their employer, the flag state of the ship or the countries of the seafarers’ origin, in that order, the bureau said.
It has established a notification mechanism to help seafarers abandoned in Taiwan by their employers and to demand that the employers fulfill their legal obligations, it added.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS