Still no end in sight for abandoned MV Celanova in Manila Bay
THE MVCelanova and its crew of 15 remain stranded one nautical mile from the shore of Manila four months after it was abandoned by its owner and eventually held by Philippine port state control authorities for rudder damage and several technical issues.
But as travel restrictions were eased and lockdowns were lifted by the Philippine government,
Celanova still has no immediate respite from its uncertain condiM tions. It was earlier towed nearer to the Port of Manila from its original position for safety.
According to Luz Baz, coordiM nator of the International TransM port Workers’ Federation (ITF) in Spain, the owner of Celanova went
bankrupt and tried to sell the vesM sel to pay four months’ worth of back wages of its crew. The Spanish mortgage bank, Abanca, however, did not allow the transaction.
Baz added that ITF notified and asked for assistance from the American Club (AC), the financial security provider of Celanova, last February 22. “At the time, the crew were already unpaid for five months,” Baz said. It was not until
June 5 when AC responded.
“Among other requests, AC asked for the ship to be alongside ( in port) for them to start takM ing responsibility. We have been actively asking the same from Filipino authorities since February so we could handle the case much better and provide the crew with bunkering, food and water. We even asked the Spanish authoriM ties, the International Maritime Organization and International Labor Organization to intervene for us,” Baz stated, lamenting that the most authorities could do was tow the vessel and drop its anchor one nautical mile from the shore of Manila Bay.
“The ship and its crew remains there up until now,” said Baz, who has been handling the case since
February 21 along with colleagues in the Philippines and London.
Celanova’s ordeal began on Dec. 7, 2019 when it broke down and lost its rudder off the Philippine coast. Ten days later, it was towed to anchor in Manila Bay and was detained on Feb. 14, 2020 by the Philippine port state control after authorities found it to be in breach of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) due to months of unpaid wages.
Its 15 crew, 13 of which are Cubans and two are Spanish, were left without electricity, lights, refrigeration, global positioning system, security lights, and Wi-Fi. Their mobile phones have also run out of batteries and the vessel wsa dangerously low on fuel, food, fresh water and medicines. The crew have also been reported to be sleeping on deck as there is no air conditioning, but storms on the metro’s coast forced the seafarers to take shelter in the dark below the deck, rendering them helpless should the vessel drag its anchor with the strong currents.
For months leading to the coroM navirus disease (Covid-19) panM demic, Celanova and its men relied on the generosity and kindness of Filipinos who would bring them food, water and other provisions while anchored 13 nautical miles out at sea.
“The crew has been working onboard without getting paid and waiting for a solution for almost nine months now. They wanted to go back home but, as always the case with seafarers, they are not willing to renounce their right to get paid as they are breadwinners in their families,” Baz said.
Based on the MLC, the financial security provider should pay the crew of an abandoned vessel a maxiM mum of four months wages, necesM sary maintenance while onboard, and their repatriation expenses.
“We’re in touch with Spanish maritime authorities who are now standing by because they know they will have to repatriate the crew in case the AC does not asM sume its responsibilities,” Baz said.
With Celanova’s crew languishing with much exhaustion onboard, Baz and her team could only hope that the ITF in the Philippines, United Kingdom and Spain would finally settle the abandonment case involvM in“@the@ Celanova that has dragged on for months.