The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
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The Oyang 70 was lost in the Southern Ocean along with six lives statements that they have been required to put up security to the Indonesian crewing agents in the form of title deeds to their personal property, including their homes and in some cases significant sums of cash. The agents have threatened to call in these securities. It gets worse, as we are now told the manning agents in Indonesia have been threatening many wives with what is nothing short of blackmail. They are now stating if their husband does not return to work, he will be fined US$5000 upon his return. The Oyang 75 crew complain to the Indonesian ambassador (far right) about their abuse, ill treatment and lack of pay abuses aboard foreign fishing vessels. Who are we are dealing with here? The Oyang 75 is owned by the Sajo Oyang Corporation and is on charter to Southern Storm Fishing (2007) Ltd. One of the directors of the Sajo Oyang Corporation at the time the crew walked off was Hyun Choi. A search of the Companies Office revealed the same Hyun Choi is also a director and shareholder of Southern Storm Fishing (2007) Ltd, the beneficial shareholder in Tu'ere Fishing Ltd. Tu'ere Fishing is the charterer of the FCV Shin Ji, which we reported on in the last issue of Professional Skipper. The crew who walked off this ship are still holed up in Auckland at the time of writing. Southern Storm Fishing has not been free of its share of controversy associated with working conditions and safety issues on its chartered vessels. In August 2010 its foreign charter vessel the Oyang 70 sank in calm seas with the loss of six lives. The surviving crew had a very similar tale to tell of non-payment of wages, poor working conditions and physical and verbal abuse. The dissatisfied crew of the Oyang 75 now have a local representative who has befriended them and was able to arrange for them to be accommodated in a backpackers in Christchurch, where they have been holed up for the past few weeks. The 32 men have refused to speak to the owners or charterers, given the propensity for them or their agents to intimidate and bully. The charterers, through the Indonesian crewing agents, immediately put pressure on the crew and started intimidating their families back in Indonesia, saying if the men did not go back to work and return to the ship they would receive no payment at all. What is even more alarming is that the crew have made 20 Professional Skipper September/October 2011 The really sad part is many of these families are now destitute, with no income. If these families do not pay their school fees in advance by the end of August, 28 children from both vessels will not be able to attend school next year. Remember, school is the lifeblood for the future for these people, who have so little, as their primary education is not free, unlike New Zealand. There is no welfare system, the young are expected to look after the old, so for their children to get better jobs they must be educated. On this note, one of the deckhands, Supardi, saw a photograph of his baby son for the first time in late July, three weeks after he was born in Slawi, Java. Sadly, the boy has had to remain in hospital with a swallowing disorder. This is also creating added costs and further hardship for Supardi's family. Only this hope of giving their families a better life drives these men to go to sea for two years at a time and work in the Southern Ocean, catching fish for a foreign land under some of the most inhospitable conditions you can think of. It's no different to being a Kiwi, you might say, but it is. These men were not prepared for the corruption that lay ahead, nor the sexual and physical abuse they would be submitted to, and there is no way out, they say. Are New Zealanders knowingly letting this happen to the families of seafarers working in our waters, catching our fish for us? We understand that to date Oyang and Southern Storm, notwithstanding their agreement to pay, have contributed little money toward crew accommodation or food. These crewmembers are being accommodated by the charity of others and have refused to leave Christchurch until they receive the full amount of their wages. It is equally interesting that both crews have asked for independent mediation, to no avail. Southern Storm has stated publicly that they have paid the PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER DAVEY