MV Boris Lavrov Crew Demand Arrest of the Vessel

VLADIVOSTOK. February 8. VOSTOK-MEDIA –The crew of the Russian-flagged MV Boris Lavrov is owned three-month back pay. They are demanding for arrest of the vessel.

MV Boris Lavrov is presently in the South Korean port of Janghang and soon will head for Chongjin, North Korea, officials said. In North Korea the vessel is expected to load sand and deliver the cargo to Vladivostok. The sand will be used in the construction of the bridge that would connect Vladivostok and Russky Island. The construction is carried out as part of the preparation of Vladivostok for 2012 APEC summit.

The letter demanding arrest of MV Boris Lavrov was sent to the Nakhodka-based Far Eastern Branch of Seafarers Union of Russia, which is a member of the International Transport Workers Federation (IFT). The crew of MV Boris Lavrov believes that the federation is able to exert influence on ARSCO, the vessel’s owner, and urge the company to reimburse the crewmen for the three-month back pay totaling $60,000.

The letter said that if the crew members do not receive the back pay, then, upon arrival at Vladivostok, they will not open the vessel’s holds for unloading.

Nikolay Sukhanov, the Chairman of the Far Eastern Branch of Seafarers Union of Russia said the crew of MV Boris Lavrov had already applied for legal assistance to Nakhodka transport prosecutors office. Then, ARSCO promised the crew to reimburse back pay, but the company broke its promise.

The letter further reads as follows: “Each member of the crew has a family, which through the fault of the company is now living on a breadline: families are unable to pay for colleges their children attend, fail to pay credits, utility bills, and many other things, which can not but have an adverse effect on psychological condition of the crew.”