Crews abandoned at sea as vessel owners jump ship

Owners of loss-making sea vessels have devised a neat way of turning their businesses around: they close their books of accounts, turn off their phones and crews are left at sea, without support or any communication.

Such was the fate of 16 crew members who were abandoned in Mombasa last year, while on a fishing expedition.

That’s akin to depositing a long-distance bus driver at Machakos country bus station and leaving him to chart his future, unaided. Well, a bus driver can leave the bus and walk home; perhaps even head to Grogan and sell it off as scrap metal.

This week, the 16 crew members successfully litigated in a Mombasa admiralty. They were allowed to sell the vessel and share the proceeds to cover their unpaid salaries and benefits for one year.

Apparently, things have been so bad over the past two years, as Covid-19 ravages the world, some 60 vessels were abandoned, so crews had to figure a way home. The Mombasa vessel had crews from South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Tanzania and Kenya.

One can imagine the nature of conversations between those men and their families. A father would say to a child they had no idea when he would be home; a spouse would be told there was no way of knowing when the man would be able to send some money home.

But there is a vital lesson: if we lured all our thieving politicians on board, and left them adrift at sea, we’d have some reprieve for a long time!