A fishing vessel has been detained in Scrabster amid a crackdown on operators accused of cutting payments to crew during the pandemic.
The move by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) was made just days after we highlighted concerns about the treatment of some workers in the sector.
The UK Government body pledged to take action last week following our reports that crew members had often been left penniless and stranded during the crisis, sometimes being forced to live on their boats in harbours for extended periods.
Now it has emerged that the MCA detained the Ullapool-registered Eder Sands, a Classed fishing vessel of more than 24m, at Scrabster on Thursday last week.
The vessel has its home port in Lochinver and is registered to – but not owned by – Aberdeen FPO.
The move followed an investigation and inspection that was carried out in line with the UK Government’s Covid-19 guidance.
During the inspection, the MCA said surveyors found fishing vessel work agreements did not comply with Work in Fishing Convention (WIFC) regulations, the vessel did not have a WIFC certificate, and the crew was not properly qualified.
The owners also could not provide evidence that the crew had been paid in full and wage receipts were not in accordance with the regulations.
It was also found that although the vessel had 20 crew, it did not have the required International Sewage Pollution prevention certificate.
The MCA said the vessel would be released only when it complies with all the requisite regulations and requirements.
Abhinav Chaudhary, the Aberdeen-based principal marine surveyor for the agency, said: “This sends a very clear message to the fishing industry.
“You must comply with the Work in Fishing Convention regulations and there is lots of good guidance available on the MCA website or you can speak to your nearest marine office.”
The International Labour Organization’s work in fishing convention (ILO 188) entitles all fishermen to written terms and conditions of employment, decent accommodation and food, medical care, regulated working time, repatriation, social protection and health and safety on board.
Ian Blair, assistant director governance (technical), said: “Whilst the MCA will work with the fishing industry to implement the requirements of ILO188, we will not hesitate to take action when significant failings are identified.
“Whilst our surveyors have been working from home during this pandemic, we have still investigated any complaints we have received.
“We cannot stress enough that we will take action when we have concerns about non-compliance and no-one is exempt from that.”