THIRTEEN Indonesian, Filipino and Romanian workers have been stranded in Newport Docks for nearly four months after authorities seized their ship due to unpaid debts.

The crew of Italian cargo ship Sunflower E, who haven’t been paid in more than four months, said they are desperate to go home and see their families.

Speaking to the Argus they said their they had no hot water and their fridge had broken, and they only had enough fuel to last the week. They have been supplied with food and water by the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), but concerns have been raised about the “deteriorating conditions” onboard.

11 of the crew are from Indonesia, with one from the Philippines and Romania.

One crew member said that his mother had recently died and he had been denied the chance to go home, another had a nine month contract but had already been on the ship for more than a year, and others hadn’t spoken to their families back home in months.

Doris Agus, an engineer on the ship said: “They only care about the vessel, they don’t care about us.

“We trust that ITF can solve this problem and get some information for us.

“Hopefully we will go home soon.”

Newport West MP Paul Flynn said he was deeply concerned that workers from the ship are owed nearly four months wages and live in “deteriorating conditions” onboard.

Inspectors from the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) are now involved in the case, attempting to retrieve wages owed and secure safe passage home for the seafarers.

Mr Flynn called on the government to contact Italy to make sure the workers are paid and supported in travelling home to their families after the ship was seized in March.

In a written statement in parliament, which other MPs will have the chance to put their names to, he said: “This House is appalled by the plight of Indonesian, Filipino and Romanian seafarers stranded in Newport, Wales on the Italian-flagged cargo ship Sunflower E which was arrested on 10 March due to the shipowner’s unpaid debts, the eighth case this year of a ship being detained in a UK port owing to dubious financing.”

The Jakarta Post has covered the plight of the Sunflower E, saying British authorities stopped the vessel due to the owner’s failure to pay a loan to an Italian bank.

They added that the IRF had hired professional lawyers to deal with the South Wales court and the Italian bank to ensure that all the crew of the vessel would receive their rights, including their withheld monthly salaries after the bankrupt vessel was resold. The newspaper claimed the crew had not been paid since February.

They quoted ITF senior advisor John Wood as saying: “All crew members, including the 11 Indonesian seafarers, are in good health because they have been fed and given necessary medical treatment by the court.”

An ITF spokesman told the Argus: “We can confirm that ITF inspectors are assisting the crew and doing all we can to ensure the crew receive the money owed to them. We're looking for a speedy resolution. That's as much as we'd like to say for now for tactical reasons."

Paul Flynn’s Early Day Motion, tabled yesterday, adds: “It is deeply concerned that the Sunflower E’s 13 crew are owed nearly four months wages and live in deteriorating conditions onboard, in blatant contravention of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).”

He added that abandoned seafarers should be given greater priority in shipping policy, both domestically and overseas.

A total of 32 per cent of the 7,500 vessels inspected by the ITF across the world in 2013-14 breached the MLC’s provisions, particularly on wages and repatriation, he added.