MARITIME

19 March: Suez Anchorage, Egypt

The general cargo ship the MV Aman (IMO 9215517) was detained at the Suez anchorage in Egypt in July 2017. Chief Officer Mohammad Aisha, who had only been on board for two months at that time, was designated the ship’s legal guard, legally binding them together. The rest of the crew was allowed to disembark and go home. Four years later he is still on board, alone. The ship is for sale but the sale is stalled and therefore he has stayed. “I’ve requested repatriation many times,” Aisha told The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). “But the port authorities are refusing to allow me to leave.” The ship ran aground about a year ago and since then no one is providing him with essentials. He is without power and has only one way to get basics like food and water — he swims to shore and must swim back. The ship is registered in Bahrain. The ITF reports, “Egyptian authorities hold his passport and refuse to cooperate to change his situation. To make matters worse, his passport expire[d] on the 22nd of March.”