Draft:MV Blida
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MV Blida was a general cargo vessel registered under the Algerian flag and owned by International Bulk Carrier Spa, a company based in Algeria and/or Greece. The ship became the subject of international legal proceedings following its abandonment in the Port of Mombasa, Kenya, in 2012. The incident led to a maritime labour case involving claims of forced labour brought by Ukrainian and Kenyan seafarers.[1]
Piracy and Abandonment
[edit]In January 2011, the Blida was hijacked by Somali pirates while sailing from Salalah, Oman, to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The vessel, which had a multinational crew of 27 including Algerians, Ukrainians, and Filipinos, was held off the coast of Somalia for over ten months. It was eventually released in November 2011 after protracted negotiations, reportedly without a ransom payment. Following its release, the ship docked in Mombasa, Kenya, where a portion of the crew disembarked.
However, instead of being repatriated or paid their wages, the remaining Ukrainian and Kenyan seafarers were abandoned aboard the ship without food, electricity, water, or fuel. They were forced to stay on board to fulfill minimum maritime safety obligations. The crew's prolonged detention gave rise to litigation in Kenya.
Legal Proceedings
[edit]In 2015, the Employment and Labour Relations Court of Kenya ruled that the 12 seafarers had been subjected to forced labour and inhumane treatment. The court found that while the registered owner, International Bulk Carrier Spa, did not employ the crew directly, the bareboat charterers were responsible for the crew's welfare and had unlawfully abandoned them. Each claimant was awarded US$5,000 in damages, to be paid from proceeds of the judicial sale of the vessel.[1]