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Fire Opal - Liberia - 11 December 2024 -  resolved 

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Fire Opal
 resolved 
01190
Liberia: flag image Liberia
9554585
Diving Support Vessel
Batam, Indonesia
Shipowners Club

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11 December 2024
14 January 2025
International Transport Workers' Federation
26
Indonesia (11); Lithuania (1); Malaysia (5); Mexico (5); Romania (2); Russian Federation (2)

Circumstances

No. of seafarers is 26, including 10 former crew.

Outstanding wages of 2 months

Seafarers applied to insurer?: No
Insurance certificate dates: Unknown

Case details

13 December 2024: Flag State informed
Contacted operator, P&I, and flag state.
Contacted Indonesian Authorities.
P&I have taken charge and all crew due to be paid and repatriated by 15th January 2025
14 January 2025: Repatriation pending

10 March 2025: Repatriated
All the crew were repatriated
14 January 2025: Payment Pending
Outstanding wages: US$869,848

10 March 2025: Paid
All the crew received their outstanding wages.

Case details

14 January 2025: International Transport Workers' Federation
Operator gave multiple plans for payment but failed each time. Similar issues on sister vessels. Running up debts with agents. Stating that they are awaiting payments from clients. Vessel detained by Indonesian PSC.

16 January 2025: Mexico
(From the Permanant Mission of Mexico in Geneva)

The Mexican Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR), in the capacity of the National Maritime Authority, contacted the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) to inform they are in receipt of the notification, as detailed below:
Situation of the diving support vessel FIRE OPPAL, with IMO number 9554585, flag of Liberia, which is in the port of Batam, Indonesia, whose crew includes four (4) Mexican sailors. In this regard, SEMAR has indicated that the crew members of the FIRE OPPAL vessel requested the support of the Permanent Representation of Mexico in London, because the ship manager company owes them the payment of salaries since October 2024. Although a formal complaint has already been filed with the company, the company has already sent them the airline tickets for their repatriation, leaving the issue of unpaid salaries pending.
SEMAR further informed the national focal point of the Maritime Authority of Liberia about the replacement and repatriation of seafarers, information that is recorded in the GISIS system of the International Maritime Organization, in order to carry out the corresponding actions for the implementation of insurance for the repatriation of crew members and the payment of outstanding wages, as provided for in the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC), 2006. Likewise, said focal point has reported that they have already taken note of the situation, having contacted the operator of the diving support vessel FIRE OPPAL and the provider of the financial guarantee, so they are waiting to receive proof of full payment and the action plan for repatriation. For more information on the subject at hand, a digital folder is attached, related to the abandonment of the crew on board the diving support vessel FIRE OPPAL. In addition, the Mexican Embassy in the United Kingdom checked the joint IMO/ILO database on abandonment of seafarers and did not find any record regarding the issue at hand, in accordance with the Guidelines on how to address cases of abandonment of seafarers, section 19.

19 January 2025: International Maritime Organisation
The insurer is the Shipowners’ Mutual P & I Association (Luxembourg).

29 January 2025: Mexico
(From the Permanent Mission of Mexico in Geneva)

The Mexican Embassy in London informed they are in receipt of a communication (e-mail) from a member of the Mexican crew of the vessel Fire Opal (IMO number 9554585), with the flag of Liberia, informing the company has paid the corresponding salaries and that they are awaiting their repatriation flights. The Mexican Embassy in London was copied in the email after the Naval Attaché and Permanent Representative to the IMO received a communication from the crew previously.

14 February 2025: Liberia
(From the Liberian Registry)

Please be advised of the following as per the vessels’ MLC financial security provider/s:

FIRE OPAL: “All impacted crew have been paid their outstanding wages and repatriated (in three batches on January 25, 26, and 28)…Rest assured that the Club stepped in and adhered to our obligations under the MLC financial security. The matter is resolved in the main regarding the impacted crew.”

10 March 2025: International Transport Workers' Federation
All the crew received their outstanding wages and were repatriated.
This case has been resolved.