Arctic Sea: Crew waiting for money to enter Béjaïa

23/11/2009 Crew Arctic Sea will receive a salary
Natalya Gracheva (sob.korr. Komsomolskaya Pravda). Stockholm
Before I give permission for port call cargo ship in the port Béjaïa for unloading, late last week, the vessel was double-checked the territorial waters of Algeria.authorities organized a thorough inspection of Arctic Sea, conducting full-scale study includes examining, on levels of radiation. The examination procedure, take several days, was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Transport, Emergency and military authorities of Algeria. The vessel was found absolutely clean, and in an official letter from the Ministry of Transport said Arctic Sea rose, at last, for unloading at the port Béjaïa. We managed to get through to director Solchart Victor Matveev, to ask about salary seafarers. Recall, according to the union of seamen debt for the period from August 17 was to pay Russia, under the jurisdiction with which this number was the ship. However, the situation of seafarers and their families can not wait to address this issue for a long time, so we decided to once again appeal to the employer. The answer was unexpected. All this time we have been seeking reserves and resources. As a result, despite the fact that a subsidiary company - Arctic Sea Malta - is in distress, we decided to open a credit line from the Finnish company to fully compensate for the sailors forced to stay aboard the cargo ship. We agreed with the union scheme of payments for all debts, including - for the period in which the vessel will remain under the jurisdiction of Russia. Monday, November 23, will go first tranche and we will do everything to ensure that seafarers have received all their due in the near future. Arctic Sea will now work in the Far East. Were there any thoughts to change its name? Perhaps remained negative associations, prejudices? After dozens of tests were conducted, organized by the authorities of different countries - Russia, Malta, Algeria and others - we decided to keep the name of the ship. And the crew, and our company but survived everything: danger, and attacks Press, and all sorts of suspicions. I think that the Arctic Sea could be proud to wear his name.
Have you made any changes in security?
We have modernized the system of notification and signaling, it is more modern than today require international rules of navigation.One can say that in this sense, the Arctic Sea has become the most advanced. Protection Plan was also revised, improved, although in the past conform to all applicable regulations. Equip the team members is not possible, they have no right to carry weapons.