Seven Filipino crewmen who have been stranded on a ship in Dublin Port since last month flew home to Manila yesterday afternoon.
The other four crew have agreed to remain on board the Elwood cargo vessel until the tug sent to tow it back to Rotterdam has been cleared to sail.
The crew were told by their employer on Monday that their flights home had been cancelled because a tug sent from the Netherlands to tow their vessel to Rotterdam had been detained in Dublin on safety grounds.
However, while the tug was still detained at the port last night, it was agreed that seven of the 11-strong Elwood crew would fly home yesterday as planned.
The four crew members who have volunteered to stay will be paid for their time here. Once the tug has been cleared, the four men will fly to Manila, possibly on Friday. The Elwood will then be towed unmanned back to Rotterdam.
The four men have been asked to stay on board the vessel in Dublin because the port authorities will not allow the Elwood to remain at the port unmanned.
The captain of the Elwood, Miguel Barairo, told The Irish Times the tug had been prevented from sailing from Dublin because it did not have the required safety certificates.
"We have all been paid for the work we have done so far and the four of us who stay will be paid more money," he said. "We are hoping that everything will be OK with the tug by Friday."
The Dutch-owned Elwood has been detained by the Department of the Marine since late last month on safety grounds. The ship had initially been detained by the department following a safety inspection at Greenore port, Co Louth, before it was moved to Dublin.
The International Transport Workers' Federation highlighted the crew's plight in the runup to Christmas when it said their wages for November had not been sent to their families in the Philippines as promised.
The men have since settled this wage dispute and have received a total of $40,000 in back payments. They have also received $35,000 in compensation following the early termination of their contracts.
The men's airfares from Dublin to Manila have also been paid by their employer.
