MARGAO: “People see the money we earn, government sees the remittances we bring in, what cannot be seen are the suppression, fears, anxiety and sacrifice a seaman does for his living. When my fellow Indians were welcoming the New Year and celebrating Republic Day, 22 men on MV Agatis were fighting for survival in foreign waters. Before I go back on a new sailing expedition or join duty, I will spill the beans on what I have faced hoping it will help some of the seamen from Goa at some point of their sailing. I am Otto Lasrado and this is my story….”
Lasrado, chef on Cargo Vessel MV Agatis narrates the ordeal he faced while the ship remained held up at Cape Town in South Africa for months. Lasrado went through almost every hardship and defeat in those three months.
“I and my 22 members crew were sailing on African waters when we heard that our ship was to be seized at South Africa for non-payment of dues of the vendors of the shipping company. Little did we know that we will be stuck there for three months without wages. But the problem got dicey when the daily supply of food and water kept shrinking,” Lasrado said.
In his description of the time he say that those were three months when they faced a new hell every day. “The crew hadn’t washed clothes for months as there was no water. Every day water was supplied for only 30 minutes, we were drinking unhygienic water, sanitation was not proper, there was not enough water to even flush the toilet, the entire ship was stinking. Garbage was not disposed for two months. All spoilt food waste was stinking since there was no space to keep it,” he recollected.
“Not all amongst our crew were strong willed like me. Some of the crew members even spoke to me about suicide and their desire to just forget the salary and leave the ship and go. I had taken up the task to cool them down and show them the light of faith,” Lasrado said.
He would have a meeting of the crew at the breakfast table and inform them of the developments in the case at the Cape Town Court.
The support of the Goa Seamen Association, headed by Dixon Vaz, kept Lasrado and the crew afloat. Vaz’s efforts were heard by the NRI Director in Goa who took it to the Indian High Commission in Africa.
“An International Transport Federation lawyer came to our rescue and we saw a ray of hope which died down soon. There was news of a compromise between the Shipping Company and we were on the verge of being rendered jobless and without salary. That is when I played my trump card and announced a hunger strike,” said Lasrado.
Indians may ignore the threat of a hunger strike but not companies in the west. Lasrado said, “It worked. On May 15, the company agreed to pay our salaries after they lost the court case. But there was yet another delay till May 28 and finally on June 5, after five months of hardships we got our salaries and were repatriated to India.”
“What I faced on board MV Agatis every seaman faces somewhere in this world and is not allowed to speak about it. A seafarer, Rupinderpal Singh Bajwa, joined as second officer on a merchant vessel in October 2014 and returned home leaving his seven months’ salary as he wasn’t aware of whom to contact for his complaint and this is exactly what needs to be stopped.”
