The ship is detained in Vancouver after a crew strike over working conditions

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Two days before the Nordic Malmoe was due to arrive in Vancouver, Nathan Smith received an email asking for help.

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A woman who identified herself as the sailor’s wife said she was worried about her husband, who had been worked “to death” on the bulk carrier.

“It’s been a few days since I last heard from him, and this is the first time this has happened. I am afraid that he will do something incredible,” she wrote.

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Smith, the only inspector for the International Federation of Truckers in British Columbia, receives similar emails from all over the world every day, he said. But as the ship neared Vancouver, he immediately got to work, notifying Transport Canada before conducting an inspection when the boat arrived in port.

On Friday, Smith said the Nordic Malmoe was detained in Vancouver after Transport Canada found 40 deficiencies during an inspection prompted by his intervention. In addition to several safety violations, there was a complaint that a female cadet had been sexually harassed and that several crew members had expressed a desire 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 reach port. Many see Canada as a place where they can get help if they are mistreated or abused, but he worries that Transport Canada’s management is becoming less responsive to complaints.

In one case in September, Smith received an email from a sailor who was forced to work at night in dangerous conditions due to “gusty winds and rain.” The email was sent shortly after an atmospheric river slammed into British Columbia’s coast, knocking out power to thousands of people across the province.

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When Transport Canada said it needed more evidence to investigate, the person who filed the complaint said they could not get it, but also feared the crew was not being paid wages and rest hours. No inspection was carried out and the vessel soon left British Columbia for Hong Kong.

Smith said Transport Canada inspectors should treat complaints as a priority and act as first responders, going to the scene to collect evidence, rather than demanding it before an investigation. He said many sailors do not have contracts or any way to back up their claims.

“They’re reaching out because something is going wrong,” he said, explaining that the stakes are high. “If they’re linked to a complaint, they can be blacklisted, so they’re putting their livelihoods at stake.”

Postmedia reached out to Transport Canada to ask about Nordic Malmoe and how it responds to complaints, but did not receive a response by deadline Friday.

A report published earlier this year by Norwegian marine insurer Gard found that 11 percent of crew deaths on ships between 2019 and 2023 were suicides.

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“This is an alarmingly high figure, and we believe the actual number may be much higher due to underreporting,” the press release said. “We also believe that many of the crew deaths are preventable.”

Smith said the mental health of seafarers needs to be taken seriously.

“People see these big ships on the water and they look great. In some cases, there are people on board who are in modern slavery conditions,” he said.

Most able-bodied sailors earn about $4 an hour and work about 300 hours a month, Smith said. Contracts are valid for approximately nine months plus or minus a month, but should not exceed 11 months. At that point, the company must repatriate the crew member, sending him home during a port stop. A departing crew member must be replaced in order for the ship to sail, but obtaining a Canadian entry visa can take time.

Smith would like to see Canada speed up the process of approving visas for seafarers so that replacements arrive in time and the “non-signatories” can return home.

It is unclear what will happen in the case of Nordic Malmoe, Smith said. When he boarded the ship earlier this week, he found its crew, many of whom are from the Philippines, in “poor condition.”

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“I knew right away there was a problem,” he said.

The team was “essentially on strike,” he said, and many were asking to go home. They told him about being bullied, being forced to stand for long periods of time at work and not being able to sleep. The female cadet said the officer touched her inappropriately and she feared the behavior would escalate after leaving port.

“They were all standing together, which is very unusual,” he said.

On Thursday, Transport Canada inspected the Nordic Malmoe, which is carrying copper concentrate, Smith said. Defects must be rectified prior to shipment to Stuart, BC. Previously, the ship was in the port of Guatemala and will eventually sail to Asia. There are 19 crew members on board.

Postmedia contacted Nordic Hamburg Group, which owns the vessel, but did not receive a response by deadline.

The woman, who wrote to Smith to tell him about her husband’s plight, admitted he may never work for the carrier again because she spoke out.

“My husband is more important,” she said.

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