When Isko, a fisher on the Tai Xiang 5 died, fellow crew members built a makeshift coffin from wooden pallets. Photograph: suppliedView image in fullscreenWhen Isko, a fisher on the Tai Xiang 5 died, fellow crew members built a makeshift coffin from wooden pallets. Photograph: suppliedOne ship, three deaths: the shocking truth behind working conditions on a Chinese fishing vesselDamning testimony from the crew of one longline tuna-fishing boat has lifted the lid on the treatment of workers in the fleets supplying fish to the UK and EUAbdul was the first to fall sick, in February 2025, four months into his first ever stint on a longline tuna fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean. Told he was “weak” and “overreacting” by other crew members, he forced himself to keep working, even when he could barely stand, his legs swollen and bruised.In the months that followed, other crew members of the Tai Xiang 5, a Chinese vessel belonging to Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries, a large state-owned fishing company, allegedly began to suffer similar symptoms: swollen, painful limbs and debilitating weakness, with some becoming very short of breath. They were offered no proper medical care, claims Abdul, 36, nor rest from the gruelling 16-hour days, for which they earned 4.6m Indonesian rupiah (about £198) a month.The fishers were fed “bait” fish which was not fresh and “tasted bad” and few vegetables, says Abdul. They were also suspicious of the water they were given to drink. distilled from sea water it was “too salty” when the machine broke down and “yellow” or “dirty” in colour.Then, one by one, some of the ill crew members began to deteriorate, says Abdul.The first to die was Isko*, a Filipino fisher. He was “brave” to challenge the captain and declare himself unfit for work, says Abdul. But he was “punished”: ostracised and forced to sleep on deck, with just a tarpaulin to protect against the rain and scorching sun….
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