They have addressed the International Transport Workers' Federation due to unpaid wages. The ship was sailing from Venezuela to Italy and docked at Taranto port.
Seafarers' families were informed about the arrest several days ago, although the company admitted that the arrest was announced a couple of weeks earlier. Representatives of Lietuvos Juru Laivininkyste said the ship was detained because of debts for its repairs, but the company did not mention about arrears to seafarers. Representative from the company's human resources department Tomas Kalasnikovas confirmed that 17 Lithuanians were sailing on the ship, all of whom were from Klaipeda. The captain of the ship was Gintautas Siurkus.
"The ship was being repaired. I believe it was arrested because of the debt for repairs. The crew is doing fine, they have food and money. We are planning of flying the crew to Lithuania already this week," said the representative of the company.
