Romanian sailors stranded in Suffolk

The Olga has been at Felixstowe for a month

A crew of Romanian sailors has been stranded in the Suffolk port of Felixstowe for a month while the ship's owners try to sell up.

The eight sailors on board the Barbados-registered cargo ship the Olga say they have not been paid for three months and have no way of getting home without help.

They are reliant on the donations and support offered by the local seafarers' association.

Captain Marius Apostle said: "They start to help us, but it's not nice for us."

Captain Apostle: 'Three months without pay'

He said he and his crewmates did not like relying on handouts, and wanted to go back home to Romania.

Their case has now been taken up by the International Transport Workers' Federation.

Captain Andrew Payne of the Felixstowe Seafarers' Centre: "They're actually doing some paperwork at the moment.

"They will take some legal proceedings in order to get these guys paid and get them repatriated."

He added that such cases were not unusual elsewhere in the world.

A group of people believed to be representatives of the ship's owners were on board the Olga on Thursday.

However, they refused to answer questions posed by a BBC reporter.