Cries for Help from Unpaid Ship Crew Finally Heard

After a public battle of withheld wages, crewmembers aboard the chartered Ocean Star Pacific stagnant in Mexico have recently been promised their late pay.

About 45 of the crewmen have not been paid in over two months and also complain of impossible living conditions aboard the ship. There is reportedly no fresh drinking water or air conditioning, and until recently, they were eating expired food. The ship had run out of fuel several times in the last two months, resulting in blackouts.

Several workers filed complaints with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) in London and Greece, but the Mexico branch of the agency has not yet been reached.

Ocean Star Cruises claims that the passenger vessel has been under a bareboat hire and purchase contract to PV Enterprises International since early May and they are to be held responsible for crewing and port fees, among other expenses. However, the ship’s owner did confirm that they believe that crew will be paid within the next 10 days; although, the shipboard’s condition claims are being disputed. Ocean Star Cruises will step in if the issues are hand are not resolved in coming weeks, and they also offered to send crewmembers home if they wished to.

On the other hand, the port is owed approximately $35,000 by PV Enterprises, but is in good standing with the bareboat hire purchase contract. 

The Ocean Star Pacific was built in 1971 by Wärtsilä at the Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and christened as MV Nordic Prince. She subsequently sailed under the monikers Carousel, Aquamarine, and Arielle, prior to being renamed Ocean Star Pacific. In April 2011, the ship was disabled at Huatulco, Mexico, due to a fire in the engine room.

The ship was never certified to carry passengers on the high seas.