Crew of North Sea Supply Ship Hired by Shell ‘Paid £2.60 An Hour’

Gulfmark has denied claims that sailors aboard of one of its North Sea supply ships are being paid less than the minimum wage.

The RMT union claims Filipino seafarers serving on the North Promise earn as little as £2.60 an hour.

The supply ship, which docked in Aberdeen last week, was contracted to Shell for two years in April.

RMT described it as the latest in a series of pay scandals to hit UK ports.

National secretary Steve Todd said: “Migrant seafarers on this vessel and across the international shipping industry are treated almost as if they are lucky to receive a wage at all.

“Ultimately that exploitation is getting worse and we are encountering it more and more on vessels, including those in the North Sea oil and gas industry.”

Gulfmark refutes RMT’s allegations and says it is in “full compliance” with maritime regulations.

A spokesman said: “The regulator for marine activities in the UK, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, have audited the vessel and the company and issued both certificates of compliance.

“Gulfmark operate a high quality safe operation and hold ourselves to the rigorous standards set by the UK flag state.

“It is disappointing that the RMT are aggressively targeting a compliant UK owner whilst the offshore sector is dominated by vessels registered on international registries.

“We would have welcomed sitting down with the RMT, as we have always done in the past, and working through any issues or concerns they might have.

“On this particular issue we are currently awaiting their response to a request we have made of them for further information and clarification.”

At times more than half of the foreign-flagged vessels in the North Sea reportedly employ crew on less than the minimum wage, while others are not paid at all.

It is legal to pay crew less than the minimum wage if they are recruited overseas.

A Shell spokeswoman said: “We work with all suppliers to ensure they meet Shell health and safety standards, which includes welfare of staff.”

Source: stv.tv