Five ships commercially operated –but not owned or managed - by Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV), the destination focused UK based cruise line, have been detained in two ports in the UK on crew welfare grounds.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) issued detentins to Astoria, Astor, Columbus and Vasco da Gama that are laid up in Tilbury near London and Marco Polo which is in Bristol. Magellan, the sixth ship of the company, is not affected.

The events started to unfold at the end of last week as Astoria was about to leave Tilbury for Portugal. Many crew members on the vessel and the other four ships complained thst they jhave not been able to return home to India, although the contracts of many of them had expired.

CMV operates its fleet on time charter from Global Cruise Lines Ltd. (GCL), which is based in Athens. As the manager of the ships, GCL is also responsible for crewing

MCA said on Friday that the detention is a preventative measure in line with UK regulations, in order that a full inspection of the ship related to the maritime labour convention can be carried out before its intended departure. It cannot leave the port until the inspection is completed.”

Five other ships were also being inspected. “Acting as the port state control authority for the UK, the MCA has taken this action following a number of serious concerns which were raised about the welfare of the crew,” it said.