CORNWALL, Ontario – Sailors aboard a cargo ship that spent days anchored near Cornwall have finally made it ashore – and been fed.
The vessel Fritz was anchored near the Seaway City for days while the crew went without supplies like food and water, reported the Canadian Press.
The Frtiz’s cargo – 18,000 tonnes of steel pipes and coils – became the centre of a labour dispute between the crew of the ship and the German owners Intersee.
The crew reportedly had gone without wages for months, and went on strike on the St. Lawrence River.
A union official has confirmed to the Canadian Press three months worth of wages has now been paid to eight of the Romanian sailors and their Russian captain.
The ship left its Cornwall area anchorage and arrived in Oshawa to begin offloading its cargo last week. It had been anchored near Cornwall since June.
A union offical told the Canadian Press the sailors went without food and water for two weeks and got so desperate they yelled at passing fishermen for gear so they could catch something to eat, though supplies were later delivered by supporters.
