The ZES Pilot: A Cargo Ship’s Troubles in Dutch Waters
The ZES Pilot, a Finnish-owned cargo ship, finds itself marooned at a port in the Netherlands, a troubling situation that has left its crew facing unpaid wages. The ship’s predicament has been highlighted by reports from Dutch media, detailing the financial strain experienced by its sailors.
One crew member, a Finnish-Cameroonian national, disclosed to NRC that he is owed nearly €10,000 in back pay, a staggering amount that underscores the financial woes onboard. Registered to RB Maritime Oy—essentially a small Finnish shipping company based in Southwest Finland and sailing under the Finnish flag—the ZES Pilot’s ownership is somewhat obscure. While the company is helmed by two Finnish businessmen, their identities remain largely unrecognized within Finland, leading Yle to refrain from naming them.
A closer look at RB Maritime’s records reveals a troubling financial history, with the company defaulting on 26 payments, alongside a failure to settle various tax and pension obligations. The crew members on the ZES Pilot technically hold contracts with Valmex Oy, another Finnish company—though it is notably 80 percent owned by a Norwegian citizen and lacks a business presence in Finland, operating only out of Denmark. When NRC reached out for comments, a representative from Valmex declined to provide answers, citing “legal reasons.”
Among the crew is Anatoly Popov, a Ukrainian national, who, alongside René Mbafu, the aforementioned mechanic, expressed their frustration to NRC. Having recently unloaded steel in Germany, Popov recalled the bizarre sight of arriving at the port of Rotterdam empty-handed, a situation that rapidly deteriorated as supplies dwindled. “We are stuck. I am wasting my time here,” Mbafu remarked, revealing his hesitation to leave the ship for fear of losing his overdue wages.
Further complicating matters, the ship’s captain has abandoned the vessel, taking crucial communication equipment with him. Authorities have since towed the ZES Pilot to a secluded port in the Netherlands, where it now rests amid a landscape of forgotten trailers and pallets.
Amid these allegations, RB Maritime’s lawyer has stated that the company denies any wrongdoing and contends it is not responsible for the crew’s unpaid wages. In contrast, Valmex has suggested that the crew engaged in misconduct, including allegations of alcohol consumption and insubordination.
According to maritime law, where employers or ship owners fail to fulfill their wage obligations, an insurance company is typically obligated to cover the payments. If this doesn’t occur, the responsibility falls to the flag state’s government—in this instance, Finland.
The plight of the ZES Pilot is far from isolated; the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has reported that over 3,000 maritime workers found themselves without pay in 2024 alone. Abandonment of vessels often arises when owners face financial difficulties, ships are seized, or they fall under sanction lists, leaving crew members stranded and without resources, forced to confront uncertain futures far from home.