SACRAMENTO — U.S. Marshals seized a ship at the Port of Sacramento and detained its crew over an unpaid $400,000 fuel payment.
The Hong Kong-based China Spirit is stuck at the port in West Sacramento under arrest. Its Chinese crew of 21 is not allowed to leave the ship. The ship was seized on October 18.
I spoke to the captain who was only allowed to go as far as the end of the gangplank. He said he was warned by the ship owner that the ship could be seized as he was arriving from his last port in Ecuador.
Tim Campbell is the president of International Longshore Warehouse Union Local 18. He’s also running for West Sacramento City Council.
Campbell’s been working to protect the crew onboard through this legal process.
“My number one concern is safety,” Campbell said. “To make sure the crew on the ship is being treated fair and safe, [to] make sure they have food stores, [and to] make sure their wages are being paid correctly and on time.”