The Minister for the Marine has said he is “very concerned” about a report that alleges widespread abuse of trafficked migrant workers in the Irish fishing industry.

Simon Coveney has called for “any evidence substantiating the allegations made" to be brought to the attention of An Garda Síochána for further investigation.

"I am very concerned about the allegations made today with regard to the treatment of workers on board Irish fishing trawlers, particularly with regard to the safety of the workers concerned,” Mr Coveney said, in a statement to Newstalk.com.

The Department of Justice has confirmed that a project led by An Garda Síochána, involving a range of departments and agencies, from marine to immigration, is to look into allegations of potential human trafficking in the maritime sector.

The Department of Agriculture, Farming and the Marine, will “co-operate in any way” with this project, Mr Coveney said.

A special investigative report by The Guardian has uncovered a catalogue of abuses and raised serious questions about the widespread use of human trafficking to staff Ireland’s fishing industry, with illegal workers working at ports all around the country.

Trafficked migrant workers from Africa and Asia are being used as illegal, cheap labour, and working in appalling conditions on Irish trawlers, according to a report released today on the abuse of workers in the Irish fishing industry.

Fishermen from across Africa and Asia are working out of ports around the country, often facing a litany of abuses, including: pay of less than half the minimum wage; being forced to remain on the boat unless given permission from the owner; having passports withheld; living in cramped conditions without sanitary facilities; extreme sleep deprivation and near constant work without any additional pay.

The investigation, undertaken over the course of a year, found evidence that suggest some boat owners and employment agencies are smuggling African and Filipino workers through the UK, before bringing them into the Republic from the North by road.

An immigration law loophole allows non-EU seafarers to transit through the UK for up to 48 hours, on the condition they are immediately travelling on a vessel that will work in international waters. The laws are not intended for fishermen working in national waters. The practice of exploiting the loophole appears to have started in Scotland, and spread from there to Ireland.

"We could be awake for two days with almost no sleep"

Workers who have arrived like this – often never told they would be working illegally - have described living in fear of deportation, with owners warning them not to leave the boats in port for fear of being discovered by authorities. Some of the workers are also subsequently forced to pay back large debts to the agencies who arranged their visas and jobs, and have charged substantial ad illegal fees for the services. They often earn $1000 (€906) per month, for a 48 hour week (not including extensive overtime than can often mean days at sea without more than a few hours break at a time).

One man interviewed as part of the investigation, named in the piece as Abraham Okoh (not his real name) travelled to Ireland from Ghana and remains in debt to an agent in Accra. Mr Okoh wasn’t aware he would be working illegally in Ireland. He was forced to live on the trawler, working in port on repairing equipment while not at sea fishing.

“I worked continuously. We could be awake for two days with almost no sleep. It was horrible,” he said.

Having been left short on wages and going hungry when food ran out at sea, he eventually jumped ship to escape.

His case appears to be an example of human-trafficking, involving the movement of people. In Irish law a trafficker is some who has “coerced, threatened, abducted or otherwise used force against the trafficked persons or if they have deceived or committed a fraud against them.” It is defined as a form of modern-day slavery.

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITWF) has previously described the treatment of immigrants on fishing vessels working in Irish waters as “modern-day slavery”. The group have also said the Irish government is “turning a blind-eye” to the situation.

"You are hungry, everything feels bad, you feel angry."

Another man who has worked on trawlers in Ireland for four years said of the tough working conditions: “It’s like you are floating because you have not had enough sleep – you are hungry, everything feels bad, your head aches. You feel angry. You are alone and there are so many things that come inside your head and sometimes you hate yourself. I hate this job. But I need money for my kid’s future.”

The man, a Filipino, spoke of his friend, Joel Alama, who died in August after an accident on a trawler in Killybegs harbour. A colleague, James Joyce, 27, from Inis Mór on the Arran Islands, also died.

The report details the stories of several other men, who all report similar treatment – sleep deprivation, low pay and being unable to leave the ship without permission when in port. Several sources in the fishing industry – as well as the migrants themselves – would only speak on condition of anonymity, such was their fear of reprisals.

An additional case was of another Filipino worker, Demie Omol, who was put on a contract paying $1000 per month, for a 48 hour week – less than half the Irish minimum wage. He was under the impression he would be working in international waters, not Irish waters – and so did not need a visa. He has said he was deceived both about his immigration status, and about his working conditions.

Mr Omol told The Guardian that he worked almost constantly while at sea for several days in a row. He claims he would often get just one proper meal per day. He was also told he wasn’t allowed leave the boat without permission. According to his contract he was due to receive pay for overtime, and paid holidays. He says he got neither and when he asked his employment agent about it he was told the €900 per month salary covered overtime.

In early June Omol began feeling sharp pains in his stomach and back while at sea. It transpired he had a tumor in his stomach. He needed surgery, but as an undocumented worker he wasn’t entitled to free healthcare. In the end a social worker and migrant support worker had to intervene to get Omol on a medical card so he could have the surgery.

He has said he felt betrayed by the boat owners, saying they didn’t answer his calls when he was sick, and accused him of deceiving them by hiding his illness before he arrived.

The owners of the boat have denied all of the accusations, saying that other migrant workers on the boat have reported regularly getting a full night’s sleep and three meals a day. They say gardaí have told them there is no question of human trafficking in Omol’s case.

Throughout the investigation, undocumented migrant workers in breach of safety, employment and immigration regulations were discovered working in Howth in Dublin, Rossaveel in galway, Killybegs in Donegal, Arklow in Wicklow, Kilmore Quay in Wexford, and several in County Cork’s - including Castletownbere, Union Hall, Kinsale, and Dunmore East.
One source said there was a sense of impunity in some ports.

“There’s a culture of omerta. It’s very hard for people to stand up and speak out. Many migrants can’t understand what’s written on the controls on the boat. There’s a language barrier. Even making a cup of tea can turn into a roaring match. It’s leading to accidents.”

In 2012 there was the fatal sinking of the Tit Bonhomme just outside Union Hall in Co Cork. Five crew members died, three were Egyptian, two were Irish. The official report found that the crew’s sleep deprivation likely played a part in the tragedy, with the men getting just four to five hours sleep in the 40 that the boat had been at sea.

"It's a can of worms that needs to be looked at ... nobody wants to take a decision"

The Irish seafood industry is worth roughly €850m per year, with fish and shellfish transported across the globe and served in restaurants in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

An official said: “There are a lot of good and decent owners doing the right thing, but they are competing against owners with untrained, underpaid or even unpaid trafficked crews. The fishing industry needs to be split for anything to really succeed: praise the good, shame the bad.”

There have long been calls for government action on the issue, from migrants rights groups, charities working in ports, seamen’s missions and international workers’ rights groups.

The Department of Justice rejected the criticism put to it by reporters that the Irish government w as turning a blind eye to the issue of trafficking. In a statement they said: “Any suspicion of human trafficking that is reported to An Garda Síochána (the Irish police) is the subject of a comprehensive investigation. The maritime industry (including fishing) has been identified as an area of potentially high risk for human trafficking due to the nature of the work in the sector, and the employment structures that are used. A project led by An Garda Síochána has been established specifically to address the concerns in relation to potential human trafficking in this sector."

The proportion of Irish crew members on fishing vessels has decreased rapidly since the boom years – with jobs in industries such as construction providing better pay and working conditions – meaning there was a need for foreign workers to staff Irish trawlers. As some boat owners began bringing in workers from Africa and Asia the practice soon spread. Some boat owners realised they could pay far less and have a staff available 24/7. 

An official source said: “It’s a can of worms that needs to be looked at. Nobody [in government] is making a decision [to act] because nobody wants to take the decision.”