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| The Major and Aversa in the port of Gent |
This past weekend we received a phone call from Guus Peters (yep, the one from the Christmas goodie bags!). He asked our help with a situation in the port of Gent, Belgium, where he visits sailors regularly.
In the seaport of Gent two ships are being held in custody, which basically means they are not allowed to set sail. The Russian owner has not paid his bills for a long time. The ITF (International Transport Workers Federation) has been involved in this case for quite a while now.
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| Guus (right) hands out food |
The Major has been there since this last January and the Aversa since March. The ships each have a crew of 12 sailors from the Ukraine on board, in total 24 men.
The crew has not received their salaries for several months now. They have a supply of dry food, but for the past few months they have not eaten any fresh vegetables or fruit. Guus Peters and his wife Annemiek have been visiting the crew regularly and a while ago they started to bring them fresh fruit and vegetables, enabling the men to eat something healthy. They buy the supplies at a local farmer who gives them a special price.
There is not much the crew can do about this situation, they have to wait for an official notification before they can leave. The current situation in their homeland Ukraine is very troubling as well, which makes it extra difficult for them to be away from home for such a long period of time. Guus and Annemiek offer a listening ear whenever they can.
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| Healthy food for 24 crew members |
By visiting the sailors and bringing them fresh food they hope to make their life on board a little more bearable. That is practical help! That is shining your light where the need is!
Guus and Annemiek are asking the Traveling Light supporters to help them with a financial gift (they have used their own resources until now), so they can continue to buy healthy food and bring it to the crew... as long as the ships are stranded.
You can make your gifts payable to: St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U.
Make sure to mention: FOOD SAILORS.