Stranded sea cadets back on dry land after ship allowed to dock
A SHIP carrying four Scottish sea cadets has finally docked in Singapore after the company they were training with filed for bankruptcy, leaving them stranded.
The cadets from Clyde Marine Training had been on a placement with South Korean company Hanjin Shipping as part of their City of Glasgow College course when the firm hit financial trouble.
Thousands of seafarers were affected as ports around the world refused to allow Hanjin ships to dock.
Ruairidh Hanna, David Gorniak, Graeme Deacon and Gavin McPhail were among 23 crew on Hanjin Louisiana.
The container ship was refused entry to ports after the company that owned it filed for bankruptcy.
One of the cadets, Ruaridh Hanna, 22, from Beauly, Inverness-shire, has been serving on a Hanjin Shipping container vessel for three months.
His mother, Rhona Maclennan, said the ship had now docked in Singapore and described it as a “big relief” and her son is expected to be back in the UK this morning.
It is understood Singapore’s High Court granted a temporary reprieve for the ships to dock without fear of being seized.
The cadets had joined the Liberia-flagged Hanjin Louisiana in May and were due to leave the 40,855gt vessel on September 2.
Ms Maclennan said later that hearing her son was in Singapore “was the best news”, adding: “We have been waiting for this for some time now.”
She has not yet been able to speak to her son, and said she could only communicate with him via email over the past few weeks.
Information about the situation was “very thin on the ground” for the cadets on board the ship, she said.
Ms Maclennan added: “They weren’t allowed to go into port. There was a supply boat went in about a week ago to resupply the boat and the cadets were told they would possibly get off on that but that never happened.
“I think that was the hardest part for them, not knowing, and they were told they could still be on the boat up until December.”
Hanjin filed for receivership in South Korea in August after attempts to bail out the indebted company failed.
There are an estimated 89 Hanjin ships out of its 141-vessel fleet in difficulty, and some have been seized by creditors.
The troubled shipping group has debts of more than $5 billion following its collapse.