As 13 Russian and Romanian seafarers who have languished for 17 months in a Nigerian prison wait, Douglas B. Stevenson, Esq., the Director of the Seamen's Church Institute's (SCI) Center for
Seafarers' Rights, today urged His Excellency Professor George A. Obiozor
, Nigerian Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to meet with him this week in Washington
D.C.
The seafarers were recruited by legitimate crewing agencies in their
homelands in accordance with normal international maritime custom to work on
the Greek-owned, Panama-registered, MT African Pride. In October 2003,
Nigerian officials seized the tanker. In January 2005, two Nigerian
admirals lost their positions over the case.
"The Russian and Romanian crewmembers are innocent victims and their
families suffer greatly. They were hired, like most seafarers today, simply
to operate a vessel. They did not determine their vessel's mission and
routes," said Mr. Stevenson. "Their lives were far removed from the vessel's
owners and its business. When the MT African Pride was accused of illegal
bunkering, the crew was arrested and incarcerated as scapegoats for the acts
of others."
The Seamen's Church Institute is working to improve the crew's deplorable
prison and end their detention by contacting Russian, Nigerian, Panamanian,
and Greek officials. To date, there has been no official confirmation of
the crew's condition.
SCI's Center for Seafarers' Rights is a worldwide resource for legal
research, education, advocacy and assistance on seafarers' rights issues.
The Center provides free counseling and referrals to merchant seafarers and
seafarers' welfare agencies worldwide. The Center also works to improve
national and international laws and practices protecting seafarers and
improving maritime safety. CSR participates in IMO meetings, States Parties
to the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention in New York City, and the
International Labor Organization in Geneva.
Before joining the Seamen's Church Institute as Director of the Center for
Seafarers' Rights in 1990, Mr. Stevenson served 20 years as a U.S. Coast
Guard Officer, retiring as a Commander. While in the Coast Guard, Mr.
Stevenson served in a variety of legal and operational assignments,
including command at sea and a diplomatic post at the United States Mission
to the United Nations. He is a graduate of the United States Coast Guard
Academy and the University of Miami School of Law.