VLADIVOSTOK, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - A court in Panama has ordered for a Russian-crewed cargo ship stranded off the country's coast since April to be impounded, an International Transport Workers' Federation official said on Wednesday.
The Panama-flagged Piruit bulk freighter with 11 Russian sailors on board has been stranded since it ran ground while crossing the Panama Canal. The sailors have received no wages since, and are reportedly running low on food supplies.
"The court ordered for the Piruit vessel to be impounded," Pyotr Osichansky told RIA Novosti. "If the owner [registered in the British Virgin Islands] does not pay the wage arrears, the ship will be put up for auction. The money gained from its sale will be used to cover the debts."
The sailors are owed around $300,000 in unpaid wages. Electricity on the ship has been cut off since August 20.
In early October, the vessel's captain said the sailors were unable to come ashore, and that a special permit was required to leave the ship and visit the port.
Osichansky said some of the crew members will be sent home in the near future.
"Four of the crew members will fly home on Friday, and two others are also due to depart in the near future," he said. Five of the sailors, including the captain, have said they do not want to return home until they receive their salaries.
