Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Craig Trans - horror story coming to an end for the crew


The drama of the tug Craig Trans, which has been detained in Halifax since December, seems to be playing out to a satisfactory conclusion, at least for the crew. An outpouring of assistance from the public including money, Aeroplan points, clothes, food and even haircuts will soon make it possible for the crew return home. Latest reports indicate that Aeroplan is expediting the transfer of travel points to arrange repatriation likely by the end of the week. The crew members are from Honduras and El Salvador.
The appalling conditions aboard the tug have been publicized by media and have gone viral. The owner however does not seem to have been shamed into taking any action. He claims crew incompetence, theft and a union conspiracy. He claims he will not pay them, nor will he repatriate them because they have done no work since the boat arrived in Halifax. CBC Radio's As It Happens managed to track down the owner, Gerard Antoine, today and the interview is worth a listen if you can find it.
If the crew leaves the tug, it will fall into the custody of the Halifax Port Authority (if it has not done so already) and will be sold to satisfy berthing fees and other charges.
If the remaining crew of hardy cockroaches survives the winter, they will certainly find Halifax a welcoming home come spring. By that time lets us hope this embarrassment of the seas is gone..

1 comment:

  1. Here is a link to the CBC As it Happens podcast page. The Craig Trans segment is in the second part of the Jan 16 2013 episode.

    http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/podcasts/

    ReplyDelete