Romanian Ship’s Odyssey Stalls Near Hawaii

The ill-fated Giurgiu has been out of fuel, food and money but now the Romanian wreck of a ship once stranded for weeks in the Port of Los Angeles has become something of a high-seas pariah.

The ship may be loaded with $3.5-million in fish meal, but it’s running dry on luck: Hawaii won’t even let it enter its harbor.

Once again in need of repairs, this time for a burned-out turbocharger, it’s been refused permission by the state to drop anchor in Honolulu until it posts a $680,000 bond and agrees in writing to depart within 45 days. For the last two weeks, the Giurgiu has been tooling around just outside Hawaii’s territorial waters, awaiting word from Romania. Its fuel supply is fine, said the ship’s Honolulu agent, and the crew has enough food to last through Thursday.

The Giurgiu had detoured to L.A. on its way to China but when it docked here Feb. 21 the U.S. Coast Guard detained it, citing 22 safety violations.

The ship’s Long Beach agent paid for tug service, docking fees and a week’s supply of food for the seamen on board. Eventually, right before the Coast Guard finally released the ship March 14, the cargo owner paid the crew $30,000 in back wages, said Ray Familathe of the London-based International Transport Workers Federation.