AP Moller-Maersk and other shipowners are paying for a small cruiseship to help take a group of stranded Kiribati seafarers home, TradeWinds has learned.
But the shipowners have been refused permission to take the crew members back to Kiribati directly due to Covid-19 restrictions, and can get them only as far as Fiji initially.
Ross Nicholls, of the Mission to Seafarers charity in Brisbane, Australia, revealed that the 150-berth Reef Endeavour (built 1996) has been booked for a subsequent trip from Fiji to Kiribati.
The vessel is owned by Captain Cook Cruises of Sydney.
Maersk, which has 38 seafarers stranded in Australia, told TradeWinds the Kiribati government has chartered the vessel, with a refund being provided by the group of owners. The shipping company has 10 crew members on the cruiseship.
Other owners are also trying to get 37 Kiribati seafarers back from Germany, 12 from Indonesia and 15 from South Korea.
These are understood to be flying to Fiji for the onward trip by ship.
The owners are part of South Pacific Marine Services (SPMS), a partnership involving Maersk and subsidiary Hamburg Sud, Reederei Nord, Reederei F Laeisz, Leonhardt & Blumberg and Aug. Bolten.
Human Rights At Sea (HRAS) told TradeWinds that Maersk is working with other shipowners to repatriate about 140 Kiribati nationals in total, with all of the companies covering the cost of the operation.
Pressure is mounting on the Kiribati government to allow the return of its citizens, the charity said.
The seafarers were displaced by the international travel restrictions enforced during the pandemic.
Maersk, one of the main employers of Kiribati's seafarers, has attempted to negotiate potential passage home with the Kiribati government, but has had little success, despite participation by the International Labour Organization and International Maritime Organization.
The shipowner told HRAS that the government's reluctance to permit full repatriation has resulted in the company's decision to transfer crew members from Australia to Fiji.
"The government in Tarawa [the capital of Kiribati] have repeatedly refused our suggestions, including covering all costs, to repatriate the seafarers stranded in Brisbane directly from Australia to Kiribati by plane," Maersk said.
Kiribati is only prepared to entertain a conversation about sailing the stranded seafarers from Fiji to Kiribati.
"While we do not find this solution optimal and would prefer to repatriate our seafarers by plane both from Fiji and Australia, we have offered to cover the cost of this cruise vessel together with other shipping companies employing seafarers from Kiribati," Maersk said.
Fears over pay
Fiji has in effect become a holding area for a further 165 Kiribati seafarers who were unable to complete their journey home earlier in the pandemic.
They are no longer receiving basic living wages.
The crew members stranded in Brisbane continue to be paid. However, they have expressed concern that transfer to Fiji will place them in an uncertain, financially desperate situation reflecting that of their colleagues.
Bwerentetaake Toanuea, spokesman for the group in Brisbane, said the mariners fear they will become stranded in Fiji if plans to get them home fall through.
"We can see the problem that's going on with our brothers who have been stranded in Fiji. They suffer a lot. We always hear a lot of complaining, and we don't want to be a part of that," he added.
"Our government ... will not allow this direct flight from Brisbane to Tarawa. It's a big problem between the company, our government and us. It's very complicated."
All Kiribati seafarers stranded internationally have been fully vaccinated, which is a crucial step towards their eventual return home.
Some of the crew members have been away from home and families for two years.
Their plight is at the extreme end of what seafarers have had to suffer due to travel and quarantine restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Originally around 320 Kiribati seafarers were trapped in Brazil, Denmark, Germany and Spain at the beginning of this year.
Through talks with the IMO, unions and industry associations, a way home for them was negotiated.
However, 200 of the men became caught up in a Covid-19 outbreak in Fiji as they quarantined prior to returning home.
