After being stranded in the Gulf Islands for months, the captain and crew of a Korean cargo ship finally see a light at the end of the tunnel with the news they will be going home this week.
“The captain said they will be leaving sometime this week,” said Lyn Cooper, one of several Pender Island residents who have befriended the crew of the Hanjin Scarlet.
The 255-metre cargo ship and its 16-member crew have been stuck off the B.C. coast since early September when Hanjin Shipping went bankrupt and operations around the world were left in limbo with unpaid bills.
Another ship, Hanjin Vienna, has also been stranded and anchored off Constance Bank near Victoria since September.
That ship went to Vancouver on Saturday (January 14) and, according to marinetraffic.com, is on its way back to the Island, perhaps after a supply run, which it has done a few times.
The 279-metre ship is owned by a German shipping company but was operated by Hanjin. The 22-member crew and vessel were held in limbo while financial details were being sorted out. The fate of that ship and crew is also not known at this time.
Cooper said the captain of the Hanjin Scarlet told her in an email that the ship had been sold and the crew would be sent home. Six are from Korea and the rest are Filipino.
“He said he cried as it was bittersweet to be going home but they were also losing their jobs,” said Cooper, who was on her way to the ship for a farewell party the crew was throwing for the people in the area who’ve helped them over the past four-and-a-half months.
“They wanted haircuts first, to look presentable,” said Cooper, who first met the crew when her community choir went to sing for them and offered help. “It started out choir members and then morphed into hairdressers and family.”
The sale of the ship and its departure are not yet confirmed.
Both crews are being paid and provided for, including Internet access to speak to their families.
