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The Palau-flagged Serafina is the worst seen by ITF Inspector Assaf Hadar in four years of inspecting ships in Israel
No employment contracts, food storage freezers all at above 0°c, the stench of rotten meat, a bug infestation, broken sanitation facilities – these are some of the inhuman conditions seafarers face aboard the general cargo vessel, the Serafina.
But after being boarded by ITF Inspector Assaf Hader the vessel has now been detained by Israeli maritime authorities.
Haifa’s Port State Control (PSC) detained the vessel after it found 29 defects – of these, 18 are all classed as rule breaches which on their own could have led to detention.
“In four years of inspecting ships for the ITF in Israel, I have never seen anything this bad,” Hadar said.
“It’s an absolute disgrace that seafarers are forced to work in these inhuman conditions.”
The Serafina is flagged to Palau, an ITF-listed Flag of Convenience which the ITF also labels as one of the worst flags operating in the Mediterranean Sea.
Most of the crew on the ship do not speak English, with 12 coming from Turkey and five others from Egypt and Azerbaijan. They face a bug and flea infestation on board, an empty fish freezer, an empty meat freezer stinking of rotting meat set at 0°c, and a vegetable freezer set at 9°c. They also endure flooded showers, broken toilets and sinks held together by steel wire.
Hadar has now ensured portable toilets and showers are available for the crew on the dockside, next to the vessels. He is also working to ensure the seafarers are repatriated to their home countries.
He said: “Seafarers have a right to decent working conditions. And the ITF and its inspectors will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in demanding their rights are respected.”
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Notes
- See here for more information on the Palau Flag of Convenience in the ITF's 2023 'Sea of Convenience' campaign focused on the Mediterranean Sea.
About the ITF: The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is a democratic, affiliate-led federation of transport workers’ unions recognised as the world’s leading transport authority. We fight passionately to improve working lives; connecting trade unions and workers’ networks from 147 countries to secure rights, equality and justice for their members. We are the voice of the almost-20 million women and men who move the world.
Media contact: Mark Dearn +44 7738 832 413 media@itf.org.uk