Stranded Filipino crew gives up waiting for wages

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

Seven Filipino sailors who have been stranded for months on a ship which is under arrest on the Auckland waterfront are flying home today without their wages.

The crew of Black Bart, a "flag of convenience" ship named after a 19th century American stagecoach robber, are just happy to be going home to loved ones whom most have not seen since this time last year.

But their ship is going nowhere, as the High Court prepares to appoint a broker to sell it to repay debts, even though it is loaded with $88,000 of a Chatham Islands service station owner's diesel cargo.

The Auckland Seafarers' Mission chaplain, the Rev Bill Law, will put the sailors on an aircraft this morning after the Philippines Embassy forwarded money provided by the recruitment company which posted the men to the ship.

International Transport Federation coordinator Kathy Whelan said she understood a Philippines Government agency put pressure on the company to pay their fares home.

She said they were sick of waiting aimlessly in Auckland, and were confident in her federation's resolve to pursue their claim for more than $95,000 in unpaid wages.

Ms Whelan said that the sailors were shocked by a plea by the ship's master to stay aboard, to make it easier to sell as a going concern.

"They almost fell over with the shock and horror of anybody contemplating that they be treated as chattels."

Captain Helmut Lohmann confirmed his belief that it would be hard to sell Black Bart without a crew, but said he accepted it was better that they go home than stay unwillingly.

He denied being obstructive in retaining their passports until approached yesterday by the Immigration Service. He said he had a responsibility to look after these after they refused to apply to have their visitor permits extended.

Despite effectively being half-owner of the ship through a nominee company registered in Vanuatu, Mr Lohmann says he is as much a victim as the crew of an alleged failure by its agent to drum up enough business.

Paul McSherry of BB Shipping (NZ), the vessel's agent, blames anti-competitive practices of rival companies in blocking Black Bart from trade lanes to the Chathams and more tropical Pacific states.

He said yesterday that he was pleased the sailors were flying home, rather than continuing to clock up a wages bill, which would be paid to them eventually as preferential creditors once a buyer was found.