Tema, Sept. 24, GNA - A Tema High Court presided over by Mrs Felicity Amoah on Friday ordered the owners of MV Nabil Z, a Cambodian registered vessel, to pay a total amount of 10,000 dollars to six crew members who were treated unfairly on board the vessel.
The owners will in addition bear all hospital and hotel expenses in respect of the six crew made up of five Egyptians and a Romanian. The owners have provided air tickets to the crew who are to be repatriated by Monday, September 27, while the Romanian is to leave by the next available flight.
After several discussions, Mrs Amoah ordered that the vessel should be discharged from arrest on condition that the defendants pay the 10,000 dollars, which has been accepted to the total satisfaction of the crew.
The crew comprise Muhammed Fatha Said, Zaki Al-Seid, Alhassan Al-Thani, Mahmud Suad Muhmud Mohammad and Nasr Elia Hamid, all Egyptians, and the Romanian, Ivannor Lorentiu.
According to them, the action was planned in Ghana because "Ghana upholds the rule of law", adding that, as Ghana is a staunch member of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), they had high hopes of their grievances being heard.
The plaintiffs were represented by Mr L.S.N. Akwetteh while Mr Nii Osah Mills represented the defendants. The vessel, owned by Blue Bay Company of Panama, docked at the Tema port on September eight from Matadi in the Democratic Republic of Congo with 15 crew made up of seven Syrians, seven Egyptians and a Romanian.
Six of the 15 crew reported the unfair treatment meted out to them by Syrian Captain Daigham to the Ghana Merchant Navy Officers' Association who took the matter to the High Court to seek redress in accordance with International Maritime law and International Transport Federation policies.
According to the crew, the Captain fed on nourishing food while they were fed on only bread while their five months' wages were not paid to them. On Thursday, President Jerry John Rawlings ordered the arrest and deportation of Captain Daigham who made derogatory remarks about Ghanaians when pressmen called on him for an interview on the issue.
