Abandoned crew onboard Surinamese vessel sent home without pay

Feb 09, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – The employers who allegedly disappeared and left a crew of six men stranded onboard a Surinamese vessel anchored in the Essequibo River have returned but are now being accused of sending home the men without pay.

The crew that was stranded onboard the Pearl of the Atlantic

According to one of the crew members, Orin Riddle, a Guyanese, the owners of the vessel returned after Kaieteur News reported that they were abandoned without food and cash. Riddle said that his employers were not too pleased with them relating their situation to the media and had allegedly threatened them and eventually sent them home without any pay or passage. “Only one boy that remained behind, they give him $50,000”, Riddle alleged.

Kaieteur News reached out one of the employers (name provided) and he denied threatening the crew. The employer, however, did admit that he still owes the crew their salaries but refuted claims that they were sent home without any money. “We give them hundred thousand each fuh them go home”, the man said while adding that he owes a balance of US$11,500.

He acknowledged that the men “are family men” and promised to pay them off by next week Monday. The employer related that he was unable pay the crew on time because his client had not paid him for towing a vessel from Skeldon, Berbice to Trinidad. “I know that it is not them (the crew) problem (for him not being paid), but the man that hire we is from Trinidad and he only give we money for the fuel to get there and when we reach there, he ain’t pay we. He left we stranded in Trinidad and we had to borrow money now just to buy fuel so we could return back to Guyana. Right now ah got he in court for me money,” the employer explained to Kaieteur News. He assured that he is getting some cash and will make sure that the crew is paid in full on Monday.

Kaieteur News had reported a week ago that the crew made-up of Guyanese, Surinamese and Venezuelan men, was stranded some 22 days on board the vessel called ‘The Pearl of the Atlantic’. It was anchored in the Essequibo River, a fair distance away from the Parika Stelling. After their food supplies ran out, they turned to the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) for help. An official of MARAD had confirmed that agency’s crew welfare department met with men and has taken some food supplies for them.

Riddle one of the crew members had related that their Surinamese employers had employed them on the 24^th of November last year to go on a month-long voyage to Trinidad and return.

The crew was promised that they would have been paid their monies in full when they returned from the voyage. They had set sail a few days later for Trinidad and had returned on January 3 last.

• Crew, employers, pay, Pearl of the Atlantic, Surinamese, Vessel