Eleen Marine denies abandoning bulker crew in Nigeria

Eleen Marine denies abandoning bulker crew in Nigeria
Bojan Lepic October 7, 2025 https://splash247.com/eleen-marine-denies-abandoning-bulker-crew-in-nige...

Greek shipmanager Eleen Marine has issued a detailed rebuttal following Splash’s previous report of the Eleen Armonia crew being stranded in Nigeria for more than three months without receiving salaries.

An email, sent by a crew representative to Splash in late September, claimed that many crew contracts have already expired, but that no repatriation or crew change has been arranged. The email also stated that the crew’s mental health is at a critical level.

In a statement shared with Splash as an answer to these claims, Eleen Marine stated that it is fully aware of its obligations as a shipmanager under the Maritime Labour Convention.

It said the crew was “never abandoned” and that they continue to have “provisions of food, fresh water, internet access, medical care, medication”, and even armed security to mitigate any risk of piracy attacks and armed robberies.

The company also claimed that all outstanding salaries are being brought up to date, including bonuses and overtime, “via continuous settlement agreements”. According to Eleen Marine, seafarers have free movement, and those whose contracts have expired have been repatriated.

The shipmanager explained that the Liberian-flagged vessel is actually under flag detention for alleged Maritime Labour Convention violations.

The company claimed that the vessel’s prolonged detention was due to “fraudulent claims” and “fabricated evidence” used to secure two separate arrests by Nigerian authorities.

The company stated that the arrest of the 55,522 dwt vessel is part of “racketeering tactics of raider-thieves whose aim is illegal acquisition (stealing) maritime assets by abusing the imperfections of the Nigerian legal system, while employing tactics of psychological intimidation, threats and extortion towards our employees, representatives, and lawyers”. Eleen Marine could not divulge any further names and details due to legal implications.

One of the arrests was linked to a supposed collision in Venezuelan waters on February 20, 2025. Eleen Marine stated that the bulker was on the other side of the globe in Malaysia, and that this can easily be disproven with AIS data and other documents.

To further support its claim, the company reminded that the 2008-built bulker rescued 34 seafarers from a burning fishing vessel 500 nautical miles south of Sri Lanka less than a week after the alleged collision.

see also:
Bulker crew stranded in Nigeria without pay for three months
Bojan Lepic September 23, 2025 https://splash247.com/bulker-crew-stranded-in-nigeria-without-pay-for-th...