17 Filipino crewmen stuck on board ship cry out for ‘humanitarian parole’

The Nikol H (Photo: http://www.marinetraffic.com / Juergen Braker)

LOS ANGELES, California — A crew of Filipinos who have been stuck on board a 700-foot freighter for over four months now are crying out for “humanitarian parole” from the US Customs and Border Protection.

The 17 Filipino crew members, aged 25-34, have been confined to the Nikol H ship anchored in the Delaware River, under the leadership of two Ukrainian officials and an Egyptian captain.

The crew members were provided cell phones, Internet connection, food and water, as well as regular pay. However, the Filipino seamen have expressly stated that they want permission to leave the ship.

“They want to get out, so now, Seaman’s Church Institute is helping them to get humanitarian parole that would allow them to go outside the ship,” Philadelphia Filipino community leader Ruth Luyun said.

“If you can imagine,” said the Rev. Peter Stube, Seamen’s Church executive director, “being on a small boat for three or four months without being able to get off, and land within sight. We have made a point of making sure they can stay in touch with the families.”

“Most of them have visas when they arrived, which allowed them off. [T]he visa however is only good for 29 days so once the 29-days limit was up then they were restricted to their ship,” Stube said.

The Greek-owned freighter has been detained at the port by US Coast Guard because its owner, Derna Carriers, failed to pay docking bills in excess of $1 million. Prior to this, it was held for one month at Pier 48 in South Philadelphia after it failed to pass a routine maintenance test.

“Their morale is still OK, but of course, we really don’t know, maybe they get lonely sometimes because of their families [who are not with them],” Hermie Aczon, another leader of the Filipino community, said.

Consul General Art Romua of the Philippine Consulate in New York, however, confirmed that they can give no solid assurance of when the ship will be allowed to leave, as Carriers seems unable to pay the fees.

Meanwhile, the Seaman’s Church Institute is negotiating the extension of the crew’s visas with US Border authorities.