Praia, April 24, 2026 (Lusa) - Around six months after a Portuguese shipowner’s fishing vessel was impounded by the courts in Cabo Verde, 12 Angolan and Indonesian crew members remain stranded on board, with wages in arrears for a year, according to sources close to the case.

"They are still here in Mindelo port on São Vicente island. The shipowner will sell the vessel and said he had a buyer who should arrive by the end of the week to resolve the problem," the port captain, Aguinaldo Lima, told Lusa.

Angola’s ambassador to Cabo Verde, Agostinho Tavares, also told Lusa that the seafarers still have no solution because the shipowner intends to sell the vessel.

"The problem is not resolved. They are still there because the shipowner says the solution is to sell the ship. There are offers, but the process is not yet complete," he said.

The diplomat said the crew cannot leave the island because the shipowner holds their documents.

"The fishermen do not want to return to Angola without receiving a year's salary. This is the main problem because they have families," he explained.

He also said the workers receive basic support despite the prolonged situation.

He noted they live on the boat but have food and fuel provided by someone on the ground.

He acknowledged the difficulty of preventing similar cases and said he remains in regular contact with the crew, who speak with consular services weekly.

A representative from Limage (Cabo Verde’s maritime shipping and transport agency), José Lima, told Lusa in December 2025 that the vessel had been moored in Mindelo port for two months with 12 unpaid workers.

The court had notified the seizure in December, and the crew is following the judicial decision.

Around the same time, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) reported the 12 men on the Portuguese-flagged ship Novo Ruivo had gone eight months without pay after the shipowner abandoned them.

ITF inspector Gonzalo Galan called the situation "horrible". He said the fishermen cannot support their families and demand "the only possible fair solution: to receive back pay and return home safely and without delay."

The organisation appealed for European fishing industry employers to negotiate a collective agreement to ensure effective protection for foreign crews on European-owned vessels.

RS/LYT // AYLS

Lusa