Concerns mount for abandoned Pakistani crew

CONCERN is mounting for four Pakistani crewmen who have been abandoned without wages or food on board a trawler anchored off a Cork port for over month.

They arrived in Kinsale on board the 35-foot vessel, Lucky Star, on March 16. But the skipper has since left the country and the vessel’s Greek owners are not responding to queries from local agents or port authorities. The vessel has since been detained over paperwork issues.

Speaking from the deck of the vessel last night, its chief officer, Azhar Iqbal, said the crewmen have not been paid for five months and are owed up to $26,000 (€19.97).