Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Lithuania, Port, Transport

"We were thrown out of the ship in a Norwegian port after we asked to be paid," Oleg Voronov, a Russian citizen who was the captain of the ship, told the daily Lietuvos Rytas. The vessel was fishing in the Arctic waters under the Lithuanian flag, its crew consisted of Russian citizens from Kamchatka.

UAB Arctic Fishing continues to hire Russian seafarers from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky thus breaching the laws of Lithuania. Lithuanian courts impose fines against the head of the company for illegal employment, but the situation does not change. Crab fishing is a profitable business, thus one may presume that paying fines is worthwhile. The head of the company claims the lack of specialists in Lithuania is the main reason why Russians are hired.

The Ministry of Transport and Communication of Lithuania was addressed a year ago due to the situation. The Ministry promised to take action, but nothing has changed. Seafarers working for UAB Arctic Fishing, sailing under the Lithuanian flag, often raise questions about unpaid wages. Recently the crew of ship Zalgiris refused to unload the catch in a Norwegian port unless they were paid because they were informed that other crews did not receive wages. For example, the crew of ship Juros Vilkas demands to be paid USD 101,000 and the seafarers of ship Karalius – USD 364,000.