A number of Irish fishermen have been stuck on boats off the west coast of Africa for at least 16 weeks, apparently due to Covid-19.
Family members of the fishermen are worried about when their loved ones will be returning home amid concerns there may not be enough food and water on board.
The Atlantic Dawn Group, which is based in Killybegs, owns a number of boats which have been stuck off the coast of Mauritania. It is understood that there may be half a dozen Irish men on board, many of whom are believed to be from Donegal.
Fishermen would normally spend six weeks on board the fishing boat off the coast of Mauritania, which has some of the richest fishing waters in the world. After their six-week shift, the fisherman usually fly home to Ireland via Las Palmas Port in Gran Canaria while another crew take their place.
The Atlantic Dawn Group told Independent.ie that its normal crew change had to be cancelled because of Covid-19 travel restrictions.
When it became apparent that these restrictions were not being eased, we made plans to sail our vessels to the closest European port so that alternative arrangements could be made to repatriate the crew, it said in a statement.
But it added that before the crew could leave Mauritania, a number of formalities and clearances were required.
Unfortunately, Covid-19 restrictions have also affected the administration in Mauritania, resulting in an abnormally long delay in processing the formalities, The Atlantic Dawn Group said.
A family member of one of the crew, who spoke to Independent.ie on the condition of anonymity, said that families were worried about the amount of food and water on board. Contact with the fishermen has been sporadic due to their lack of phone signal and intermittent access to WiFi, but family members said they were being drip fed information which led them to worry about how much drinking water was on board.
The Atlantic Dawn Group strongly contested the claim that supplies of food and clean water were running out.
Our crew members are not and have at no point been deprived of supplies or provisions. On the contrary, we always ensure our crew members are extremely well provided for and conditions on-board all our vessels are of a very high standard, it said.
The Atlantic Dawn Group said that the matter was now concluded, and that the crew would sail to Las Palmas and fly back to Ireland as soon as our catch is discharged.
I would like to reiterate that the comfort, safety and welfare of our crew is of paramount importance to our company. We very much appreciate their patience and indeed that of their families during this prolonged period on-board our vessels. The circumstances we faced were outside of our control, but we did our utmost to resolve the matter in as timely a manner as was possible, despite the challenges and obstacles we encountered, the Atlantic Dawn Group said.
Family members were told last Friday that their loved ones would be able to return home on Monday. But by Wednesday, they were being told that it could be next week before they return home.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said that it was not contacted or asked to provide consular assistance during the incident. It is understood that family members would have had to make a formal complaint, which they did not want to do amid fears that the fishermen could lose out on work as a consequence.
© Independent.ie