Leith Chaplain Supports Abandoned Crew

The abandoned crew of the Alexander Tvardovskiy is being supported by Sailors' Society port chaplain Pauline Robertson in Leith.

Captain Gennadi Kukvinof said, "We have no idea when we can set sail and go home."

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) confirmed it had found "several deficiencies" with the Cook Islands-flagged vessel.

Kukvinof added, "The ship is almost ready to set sail, but the owners are fighting against paying our salary, I'm not sure how the situation will be resolved."

Robertson has been supporting the nine men and one woman since 25 June, she said, "They're anxious and worried about how long they'll be here."

Robertson has provided the crew with internet access, enabling them to contact their loved ones, and food. "The MiFi device is theirs, for as long as they need it, to contact worried family," she said.

Kukvinof added, "Our families are waiting on us, they don't know what to do. They ask us 'when will you come home?' Pauline always helps us, every day. She asks what we need and has been so much help to us."

"The crew is not good, really not good at all. Some of them want to go home, some want to stay."

Robertson said: "This situation is not uncommon sadly. We work all over the world supporting seafarers and their families with everything from abandonment to education. The issues seafarers can face have not changed that much in the 200 years that Sailors' Society has been around. We have been a listening ear all that time and will continue to care for this invisible workforce that we all depend on for almost everything we use every day."