Talks Stall in Battle Over Pay for Crew of Seized Ship

Labor union officials said Wednesday that they will consider auctioning the battered cargo ship Fotini because negotiations with the owners to obtain at least $75,000 in back wages for the crew have hit a stalemate.

The stalled talks are the latest development in the saga of the 570-foot freighter, which was detained in the port of Long Beach three weeks ago when Coast Guard inspectors uncovered a host of safety problems. Federal marshals seized the ship Friday as part of the wage dispute and turned control of it over to a private ship-keeper, which is paid by the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

Rudy Vanderhider of the federation said the union will proceed with a federal lawsuit to secure back wages and will begin preparations to sell the vessel to recover the earnings. Vanderhider estimated the ship’s scrap value alone at $350,000 to $450,000, more than enough to satisfy the crew’s wage claims.

“We are trying to do whatever we can for the crew,” Vanderhider said. “We want to send a message out to the shipping industry that if you are operating substandard vessels, stay out of U.S. ports.”

In its first public statement since the Fotini was detained, the ship’s owner said through a representative that the company will pay crew members what it believes they are owed and fight any effort by the transport workers federation to sell the vessel.

“The heart of the matter is that they have come up with some demands that are excessive,” said Capt. Thomas Athanassias, who represents Sea Gypsy Maritime Inc. of Panama. “We have interests in the ship, and our stake in the vessel is greater than the union’s.”

Sea Gypsy says it will pay all wages due since Aug. 1, when the company bought the Fotini from Chronos Shipping Maritime, another Panamanian company. Any wages unpaid before that date are the responsibility of the previous owner, Athanassias said.

Philip Monrad, an attorney for the federation, said, however, that under long-established maritime law the chain of ownership does not matter because the wage claim is filed against the ship, much like a lien.

Contrary to earlier reports, World Carrier Corp. of Athens does not own the Fotini. World Carrier managed the ship, Athanassias said, but Sea Gypsy recently terminated that relationship.

Sea Gypsy has agreed to repatriate the Filipino and Pakistani crewmen at company expense and to honor its current contractual obligations, Athanassias said. He added that some of the crew members are willing to go, while others are not.

The crew has dwindled since the vessel was detained Oct. 2. Rather than return to the ship, at least nine mariners have fled into the United States after receiving medical care in Long Beach, Vanderhider said.

Athanassias acknowledged Wednesday that there are questions about the condition of the Fotini. But the owners intended to repair the vessel, he added, and had hired welders to work on board during a voyage from Peru to Long Beach.

“This is not a new ship. There are minor and major problems with it. I have no problem with the Coast Guard detention. If I were in their position, I would have done the same thing,” Athanassias said.