Company ordered to pay abandoned crew's salaries

The owners of Panama registered vessel, ‘B Ladybug’ were today ordered by court to pay the amount of €205,694 in back dated salaries, bonuses and allowances to the captain, officers and crew of same ship.

The crew was made of captain Mirande Fabian Gerard, Arnold Ponce Payas, Danilo Malayan Veltran, Archie Barlizo Adorable, Anantha Paleswara Behera, Emmanuel Bajado Regalado, John Ventura Binas, Antonio Jr. G. Esporlas, Ernesto Jr. A Daludado, Conrado M. De Los Reves, Antonio Roldan Dacua, Kernel Parada Pascua, Nire Valmera, Ronaldo Camara Aloc, Roman M. Cristobal, Franco Ranin Gudez, llluminado S. Deiparine, Octavio Arjona Atok, Roel Panesa, Mark John P. Bayot, Jonathan M. Francisco and Gil Almonte Sales.

Master Mariner and Captain of the vessel, Fabian Mirande explained how he and 21 other crew members, including officers were employed as crew on vessel B Ladybug. The 232 metre long vessel was built in 2011 and was used to transport vehicles. However the vessel owners had informed the crew that the company was not in a position to pay their wages.

The crew communicated their position to the International Transport Workers’ Federation, who filed a civil suit on their behalf, requesting the payment of salaries backdated from May 2013 and the expenses to repatriate the crew.

Taking the witness stand, the Federation's representative in Malta, Paul Falzon told the court he was informed that Labybug Corporation was in a dire financial state and was not in a position to pay salaries. The vessel’s sister ships ‘A Labybug’, and ‘D Ladybug’ were all in Maltese territorial waters and the salaries of their crews were also not paid.

Furthermore the owners had stopped communication with the federation, refused to take calls and had abandoned the crew and vessels. ladybug Corporation had indeed stopped supplying bunkering of supplies to the vessel - including water and food for the crew.

The Court noted that additional expenses were incurred in order to rent a small vessel to deliver the summons onboard the ship. “Such expenses shall be incurred by the corporation”, the court ruled.

Madame Justice Jacqueline Padovani Grima decreed that no representative of Corporation attended the sitting, and neither was any evidence exhibited to counter the claim filed by the crew.  Judge Padovani Grima ordered Ladybug Corporation to pay the 22-strong crew, the sum of €205,694, in lieu of salaries and repatriation expenses.