Irish Examiner reporter nets award over plight of seafarers

IRISH Examiner journalist Stephen Rogers has been commended by the International Transport Federation (ITF) for his continuing efforts to highlight the exploitation of foreign sea workers in Irish waters.

Mr Rogers was presented with an award at Cork’s Metropole Hotel, where delegates from across the world are taking part in a three-day international maritime conference.

Writing about the continuing abuses which go largely unreported, Mr Rogers has managed to keep the spotlight on the plight of hundreds of vulnerable illegally employed migrant workers.

ITF inspector Ken Fleming said in recent times it has become more difficult to get media coverage of what is going on, but the Irish Examiner is the only national paper which has maintained coverage.

“Stephen is not only a great reporter, but he is hands-on and has seen the conditions and the violence first-hand and has been of great assistance,” he said.

“He has been impartial, and more than willing to get the message out there.”

The ITF has detected dozens of foreign national seafarers, either on fishing boats or merchants ships, who have not been paid for several months or who have only been paid less than €500 for a month’s hard labour off Irish shores. Mr Fleming has, in the space of just two years, recovered close to €2m in owed wages for seafarers on vessels docked in ports around the country.

In November last year, Mr Rogers revealed in this paper that Filipino workers Ace Esmeria and Rene Mesana were being paid just $553 (€374) to work up to 13 hours a day on board the Dawn Hunter fishing vessel, based in Castletownbere, Co Cork. According to Mr Fleming, the men are among up to 200 Filipinos working out of ports in this country.

Mr Rogers also tracked the story of the Latvian ship, The Defender, which entered Irish waters three times — and all three times the ITF established the crew had not been paid.

Mr Rogers and RTÉ’s Tom McSweeny received presentations in Cork’s Metropole Hotel where a three-day international maritime conference is taking place.