Spanish maritime authorities have decided to tow a ship allegedly abandoned by its owners without fuel or provisions in the Strait of Gibraltar.
The Maritime Captaincy of the Port of Malaga told the Spanish newspaper Sur that the vessel in question, the 5,800 dwt coastal freighter Marine I, was adrift near the Strait and had been without propulsion for 10 days. The crew was reported to be suffering from a lack of fuel, water, or food, and the ship was struggling with mechanical problems.
The Malaga Maritime Administration reported that a tug named Luz De Mar has been dispatched to tow the Marine I and bring it to the port of Malaga. According to Sur, this decision was made to ensure the safety of the vessel and its crew.
The Marine I (IMO 9007001) is a cargo ship built in 1994 and, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), has a crew of 17 seafarers from Azerbaijan, Egypt, Ghana, Montenegro, Nigeria, and Ukraine. According to the ITF’s abandonment database, crew members were owed two months’ salary. The ship’s owner is based in the UAE and also controls another vessel named Sundry (IMO 9045651). This second cargo ship also – like the Marine I – has a long history of deficiencies.
