Slaves News

Seafarer abandonment is on the rise, according to latest figures from the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF).In 2023, a total of 132 vessel abandonments were reported, which is 13 more than in 2022 – an increase of 10.92%. IFT said it made 129 of those reports.Under the Maritime Lamour Convention 2006 (MLC), a seafarer is deemed to have been abandoned if the shipowner fails to cover the cost of repatriation; or has left them without the necessary maintenance and support…

For 21 years, Fort Prinzenstein's caretaker James Ocloo Akorli has watched the Gulf of Guinea's tempestuous waters eat away at both his livelihood and his heritage.The 18th century Danish citadel, set along Ghana's palm-fringed coastline, was once the last stop for captured Africans before they were forced onto slave ships bound for the Americas.Today, three-quarters of the UNESCO World Heritage site has been swallowed by the sea."There have been mornings after a storm when I have come to find large parts of the fort have just disappeared…

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) announced the completion of the second Ollis Class Staten Island Ferry for the City of New York Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Staten Island Ferry Division. The Sandy Ground, Hull 220, departed ESG’s Port St. Joe Shipyard passenger ready with the USCG Certificate of Inspection and the ABS Class Certificates in hand.“I am pleased to announce the newest Staten Island Ferry Sandy Ground is being delivered to New York City. This vessel honors our nation’s African-American heritage and will tell the story of the landmark Sandy Ground community…

Nearly four years into their odyssey at sea, the five-member crew of oil tanker MT Iba [ex-Titan Brave] is tantalizingly close to shore, yet still unable to set foot on dry land.Bleary-eyed and wearing tattered clothes, the men are exhausted from an ordeal that has kept them from their families and aboard the 5,000-tonne vessel long after its owner abandoned it in the Gulf.What started out as a regular seafaring job turned into what the men call a nightmare, when the tanker's owner, Alco Shipping, fell into financial trouble and stopped paying their salaries 32 months ago.The crew was left to fend for itself, relying on donations from charities they contacted for food and hygiene supplies.The tanker ran aground in Umm Al Quwain…

In 1765, a young, peasant woman left a remote corner of rural France where her impoverished family had scraped a living for generations. She set out on a journey that would take her around the world from the South American jungles and Magellan Strait to the tropical islands of the Indo-Pacific.Jeanne Barret (also Baret or Baré) was the first woman known to have circumnavigated the world. Abandoning her bonnet and apron for men’s trousers and coats, she disguised herself as a man and signed on as assistant to the naturalist…

1860 - Screw frigate USS San Jacinto, commanded by Capt. William M. Armstrong, captures the American slaver Storm King with 619 slaves on board, off the Congo River. A prize crew from the steam frigate sailed the captured slaver to Monrovia and turned 616 freed Negroes over to the United States agent there before proceeding to Norfolk with the prize. 1861 - During the Civil War, the frigate USS Santee commanded by Capt. Eagle captured the schooner C.P. Knapp in the Gulf of Mexico. 1863 - During the Civil War, the screw steam gunboat, USS Sagamore, commanded by Lt. Cmdr.

1860 - The screw steamship Mohawk captures the slaver Wildfire with 530 slaves on board in the Bahama Channel, taking them to a camp in Key West guarded by Mohawks Marines until returned home. 1869 - As a post-Civil War push for re-enlistments, the Good Conduct Medal, then called Good Conduct Badge, is authorized by Secretary of the Navy Adolphus E. Borie. 1918 - USS Stewart (DD 13) collides with an unidentified steamer near Brest, France. Just days earlier, Stewart crew members attacked a German submarine and saved the SS Florence H crew when she exploded internally.

1861 - Sloop-of-War Saratoga, commanded by Alfred Taylor, captures Nightingale, a clipper slaver, at the mouth of the Congo River at Cabinda, Angola, with 961 slaves on board. 1898 - President William McKinley orders the Navy to begin a blockade of Cuba and Spain, the beginning of the Spanish-American War. Congress responds with a formal declaration of war April 25, made retroactive to the start of the blockade. 1914 - President Woodrow Wilson orders intervention at Vera Cruz, Mexico, after the Tampico Affair where Sailors from USS Dolphin were detained. The U.S.

In its heyday, Bagamayo was a gateway to the heart of Africa for colonisers, with trade goods surging in from the Indian Ocean, and timber, ivory and countless slaves exported from the east coast harbour. Then Bagamoyo, which looks out towards the island of Zanzibar, fell on lean times for more than a century. Now Tanzania plans an $11 billion project to make it the region's biggest port and an engine of Africa's boom. The Chinese-backed project would dwarf Kenya's port at Mombasa, east Africa's trade gateway some 300 km (180 miles) to the north, and include an industrial zone and rail and road links to capitalise on growth in a region hoping to exploit new oil and gas finds.

Underwater metal detector is successfully used for the African Slave Wrecks Project. In October 1619 the naval warship Warwick sailed into the King’s Castle Harbour in Bermuda with an important cargo from England; the colony’s new governor, Captain Nathaniel Butler. After taking on provisions the Warwick was to travel onto the struggling colony at Jamestown, Virginia, but it never made the voyage. Before the ship could sail, Bermuda was hit by a fierce hurricane. Battered by strong winds the Warwick broke free from her anchors…

Boulder Colorado Woman to Row the Atlantic to Raise Awareness for Human Trafficking. In an effort to increase worldwide awareness of human trafficking, a Boulder woman will take part in an all-female, international team that aims to make history rowing across the Atlantic Ocean in December. Following a route similar to Christopher Columbus’ maiden voyage, the journey is prepared to set a record as the first, all-female crew of six to row 3,000 miles unaided across the Atlantic.

September 21 1858 - Sloop Niagara departs Charleston, SC, for Liberia with African slaves rescued from slave ship. 1923 - Asiatic Fleet completes mission of aiding earthquake victims in Japan. 1939 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt asks Congress to repeal the arms embargo provision of the Neutrality Act. 1944 - Aircraft from 12 carriers commence 2-day attack against Japanese ships and airfields on Luzon, Philippine Islands. 1984 - Mid East Force begins escort of U.S. flagged vessels in Persian Gulf.

1820-On 29 June 1820 the Revenue cutter Dallas captured the 12-gun brig-of-war General Ramirez, which was loaded with 280 slaves, off St. Augustine. The 8 July 1820 issue of theSavannah Republican noted: "On the 28th ultimo, while the Cutter DALLAS was lying in the St. Mary's River, Captain Jackson received information that the Brig of war GENERAL RAMIREZ, supposed to be a piratical vessel was hovering off St. Augustine. The Cutter forthwith got under way in pursuit of the Brig having first obtained 12 United States soldiers from Fernandina to strengthen the Cutter's force. At half past three the next day, she hailed the Brig and received for answer…

1799- Congress authorized revenue cutter officers to board all ships of the United States within four leagues of the U.S., if bound for the U.S. and then search and examine them, certifying manifest, sealing hatches and remaining on board until they arrived in port. They were also authorized to search ships of other nations in United States' waters and "perform such other duties for the collection and security of the Revenue" as directed by the Secretary of the Treasury. 1799- Congress authorized cutters and boats to be "distinguished from other vessels by an ensign and pendant" with the marks thereon prescribed by the President of the United States…

1858 - Sloop Niagara departs Charleston, SC, for Liberia with African slaves rescued from slave ship. 1923 - Asiatic Fleet completes mission of aiding earthquake victims in Japan. 1939 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt asks Congress to repeal the arms embargo provision of the Neutrality Act. 1944 - Aircraft from 12 carriers commence 2-day attack against Japanese ships and airfields on Luzon, Philippine Islands. 1984 - Mid East Force begins escort of U.S. flagged vessels in Persian Gulf. (Source: Navy News Service)

1820-On 29 June 1820 the Revenue cutter Dallas captured the 12-gun brig-of-war General Ramirez, which was loaded with 280 slaves, off St. Augustine. "On the 28th ultimo, while the Cutter DALLAS was lying in the St. Mary's River, Captain Jackson received information that the Brig of war GENERAL RAMIREZ, supposed to be a piratical vessel was hovering off St. Augustine. The Cutter forthwith got under way in pursuit of the Brig having first obtained 12 United States soldiers from Fernandina to strengthen the Cutter's force. At half past three the next day, she hailed the Brig and received for answer, "This is the Patriot Brig GENERAL RAMIREZ----." Captain Jackson finding a number of blacks on board took possession of the vessel and brought her into St. Mary's, arriving on the 1st instant.

1799- Congress authorized revenue cutter officers to board all ships of the United States within four leagues of the U.S., if bound for the U.S. and then search and examine them, certifying manifest, sealing hatches and remaining on board until they arrived in port. They were also authorized to search ships of other nations in United States' waters and "perform such other duties for the collection and security of the Revenue" as directed by the Secretary of the Treasury. 1799- Congress authorized cutters and boats to be "distinguished from other vessels by an ensign and pendant" with the marks thereon prescribed by the President of the United States…

1858 - Sloop Niagara departs Charleston, SC, for Liberia with African slaves rescued from slave ship. 1923 - Asiatic Fleet completes mission of aiding earthquake victims in Japan. 1939 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt asks Congress to repeal the arms embargo provision of the Neutrality Act. 1944 - Aircraft from 12 carriers commence 2-day attack against Japanese ships and airfields on Luzon, Philippine Islands. 1984 - Mid East Force begins escort of U.S. flagged vessels in Persian Gulf. (Source: Navy News Service)

The logistics support vessel Major General Robert Smalls (LSV-8) - the first Army vessel named for an African American - was inducted into the Army's watercraft fleet yesterday during a commissioning ceremony at Baltimore's historic Inner Harbor. The 314-ft. long, 5,412-ton vessel officially joined the Army Reserve's 203rd Transportation Detachment as more than 300 guests looked on. Smalls is the second of two improved LSVs based on the six earlier Gen. Frank S. Besson-class vessels. Her sistership, Staff Sgt. Robert T. Kuroda, LSV-7, joined the Reserve's Honolulu-based 548th Trans. Det.

Tens of thousands of sailors on commercial ships are being treated like slaves and live in fear of being thrown overboard if they complain about exploitation and mistreatment, according a report by an independent industry body. The report “Ships, Slaves and Competition” found that on 10 to 15 percent of vessels, sailors from developing countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia were being subjected to poor safety conditions, excessive hours, unpaid wages, starvation diets, rapes and beatings. The report said crews told stories of sailors disappearing after complaining to officers and of being blacklisted if they sought union help to collect unpaid wages.

Police, aid workers and government officials gathered in Benin's port of Cotonou on Tuesday to await a ship suspected to be carrying scores of child slaves. The Nigerian-registered MV Eterino has been at the center of a frantic international search since Benin alerted the world last week that it was carrying a suspected 180 children, sold by poor families to work for nothing in oil-rich Gabon. "I am relieved that the boat is coming after four days," Benin's social protection minister said. The cargo vessel sailed from Cotonou on March 30 bound for Libreville in Gabon, but it was turned back there and later from Cameroon's port of Douala last Thursday. UNICEF, the U.N.

A former Australian transport minister challenged oil tanker owners, who were meeting in Sydney on Tuesday, to join him in the fight against "slave-ships", which still thrive in the world's shipping trades. At the end of a vigorous debate on corrosion in tankers, Peter Morris challenged the industry to take more interest in its human resources. "You've all been worrying about the rates of corrosion of metal, but what about the corrosion of lives?" he asked. "I think you and I are going to be working very closely in the future," he told Intertanko chairman Westye Hoegh. Morris, transport minister from 1983 to 1987 in Bob Hawke's Labor government…