“The company is probably facing financial difficulties, and for three months it has not paid the salaries of its 22 crew members, all of Algerian nationality,” said Rene Kiripel, head of the Brest Center for Ship Safety, the organization responsible for the prevention of marine occupational hazards. The ship is held under an international agreement. to work in the shipping sector.
The Saoura is a container ship built in 2012, with a length of 120 meters, and it sailed from Algiers to Antwerp.
The ship will not be able to leave the French port before it pays the due fees, and repairs the technical faults detected by the French authorities on board.
“A satellite communications facility is down, as is a ballast system and a LRIT system for identifying and tracking long-range ships,” Kiribel said.
He added that the deck cabins were also not in an acceptable condition, lacking sheets, blankets and pillows.
For its part, the Association for the Defense of the Sea and Sailors “Moor Glaz” issued a statement saying, “These sailors have been complaining about their living conditions and their inability to provide for their families for months.”
.