SEPANG: The Marine Department has set up a special task force to coordinate claims for outstanding wages and safeguard the welfare of 13 crew members of MV Berkat Tuah who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since late last year.
All 13 have now returned home.
Department director-general Datuk Dickson Dollah said the crew were still owed six months of wages, with the department's immediate priority being to ensure the company operating the vessel fulfilled its obligations.
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"We have established a special task force and ... will immediately engage the company to expedite the claims process.
"What we can do for the time being is advance part of their outstanding wages, while the balance will be claimed from the company," he said here on Monday (July 20).
He was speaking to reporters after arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 with five crew members, four Malaysians and the vessel's Indonesian captain, the final group of the vessel's crew to return home.
Dickson said the advance payment would be channelled through cooperation between the National Union of Seafarers Peninsular Malaysia (NUSPM) and the Central Fund for Maritime Trade (KWPPL) before the balance of arrears was recovered from the company.
According to him, the local company operating the vessel had secured a contract in the UAE, but it was cancelled following the Middle East crisis, leaving the ship stranded.
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"The case has now been registered at the international level and I hope the company will not delay settling the outstanding payments," he said.
He said about 410 vessels remained stranded because of the Middle East conflict, affecting some 6,000 seafarers from around the world facing similar difficulties.
"This does not involve only Malaysia. Many seafarers remain stranded there and are facing the same problems," he said.
He added that the successful return of all MV Berkat Tuah crew members reflected the government's unwavering commitment to protecting the welfare, safety and dignity of its citizens through a humanitarian mission. – Bernama
