Twelve Turkish sailors are stranded on a ship in Sorel, Que., say they haven't been paid for two months and are now out of food, a situation called "barbaric and beyond comprehension" by a union representing seafarers.
Details about how the sailors arrived in Canada and who brought them there are unclear.
However, it's known that the crew arrived in Sorel in April to help ready the Panamanian-flagged Phoenix Sun to be moved for dismantling overseas.
Semih Ozkan, captain of the crew, told CBC News that being stuck on the ship feels like "prison," and not being paid is affecting their families as well.
"It's very stressful," he said. "Our families also depend on our wages."
"We're broke."
The rusted 186-metre freighter has been docked at Sorel for two years, and residents had recently initiated a petition to have it removed.
Who owns the ship is also uncertain.
Radio-Canada reports that the Sorel-Tracey officials aren't sure who owns it because of the number of times it has been sold and resold by numbered companies.
The men are being assisted by the Seafarers' International Union of Canada (SIU), which donated funds and is now supplying the sailors with food.
"Our brother sailors from Turkey came on board this Flag of Convenience vessel to work and earn a living. To be left without food is barbaric and beyond comprehension," said James Given, President, S.I.U. of Canada, in a news release.
Vince Giannopoulos, an inspector with the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), told Radio-Canada that the men were glad to receive the food.
"They were very hungry," he said.
The ITF is working with Transport Canada to ensure the sailors get their monthly wages, estimated at between $500 and $800, and flights home as soon as possible.
"Imagine, you're stuck in a foreign country without a salary, without money for buying a plane ticket to return to your country, and your food is running out," Giannopoulos said.
He said sailors are often reluctant to lodge complaints against shipowners, and the fact they did is proof of their desperation.
"I admire their perseverance in a very trying situation," he said.
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