Transport Canada found 40 deficiencies in an inspection of the Nordic Malmoe, including a complaint that a female cadet had been sexually harassed.
Two days before the ship Nordic Malmoe was due in Vancouver, Nathan Smith received an email asking for help.
A woman who identified herself as the wife of a seafarer said she was worried about her husband, who was being worked “to death” on the bulk carrier.
“It’s been days since I last heard from him and this is the first time that this happened. I’m scared he’ll do something unimaginable,” she wrote.
Smith, the lone International Transport Workers’ Federation inspector in B.C., gets similar emails every day from around the world, he said. But with the ship approaching Vancouver, he immediately went to work, notifying Transport Canada before conducting an inspection when the boat arrived in port.
On Friday, Smith said the Nordic Malmoe was being detained in Vancouver after Transport Canada found 40 deficiencies during an inspection prompted by his intervention. In addition to several safety violations was a complaint that a female cadet had been sexually harassed and that several crew members had expressed a wish to leave the ship and return home.
Smith said seafarers are among the most marginalized and isolated workers in the world, with no access to law enforcement until they get to port. Many see Canada as a place where they may be able to get help if they are being mistreated or abused, but he is worried Transport Canada management is becoming less responsive to complaints.
In one case in September, Smith received an email from a seafarer who had been forced to work at night in unsafe conditions due to “gusts of wind and rain.” The email was sent shortly after an atmospheric river hit the B.C. coast, knocking out power for thousands of people across the province.
When Transport Canada said it needed more evidence to investigate, the person who made the complaint said he could not get it, but was also afraid the crew had been shorted on wages and rest hours. No inspection was done and the ship left B.C. for Hong Kong shortly after.
Smith said Transport Canada inspectors should consider complaints a high priority and proceed like first responders, going to the scene to collect evidence rather than asking for it to be provided before investigating. He said many seafarers don’t have their contracts or any way to back up their claims.
“They are reaching out because something is not right,” he said, explaining that the stakes are high. “If they are connected to the complaint, they can be blacklisted, so they’re putting their livelihoods on the line.”
Postmedia reached out to Transport Canada to ask about the Nordic Malmoe, as well as how it responds to complaints, but did not receive a response before deadline on Friday.
A report published earlier this year by Norwegian maritime insurer Gard found 11 per cent of crew fatalities on ships between 2019 and 2023 were suicides.
“This is a worryingly high number and we believe that the actual number could in fact be much higher due to underreporting,” said a news release. ”We also believe that many cases of crew deaths are preventable.”
Smith said the mental health of seafarers must be taken seriously.
“People see these big ships out on the water and they look beautiful. In some cases, there are people onboard in modern-day slavery conditions,” he said.
Most able-bodied seafarers make about $4 an hour and work about 300 hours a month, said Smith. Contracts run about nine months, plus or minus a month, but should not exceed 11 months. At that point, a company is supposed to repatriate a crew member, sending them home while stopped at port. A departing crew member needs to be replaced in order for the ship to sail, but getting a Canadian entry visa can take time.
Smith would like to see Canada speed up visa approvals for seafarers so replacements arrive on time and “off-signers” are able to go home.
It is unclear what will happen in the case of the Nordic Malmoe, said Smith. When he boarded the ship earlier this week, he found its crew, many of whom are from the Philippines, in “rough condition.”
“I immediately knew there was a problem,” he said.
The crew was “essentially on strike,” he said, with many asking to go home. They told him about bullying, being forced to stand for long stretches of time while working, and lack of sleep. A female cadet said she had been inappropriately touched by an officer and was afraid the behaviour would escalate after leaving port.
“They all stood together, which is very unusual,” he said.
On Thursday, Transport Canada inspected the Nordic Malmoe, which is carrying copper concentrate, said Smith. The deficiencies must be rectified before departure to Stewart, B.C. The ship was previously in port in Guatemala and will eventually sail to Asia. There are 19 crew members on board.
Postmedia reached out to the company that owns the ship, Nordic Hamburg Group, but did not receive a response before deadline.
The woman who wrote to Smith to let him know about her husband’s plight recognized that he may never work on a carrier again because she was speaking out.
“My husband matters more,” she said.