Mystery ship’s crew said they wanted to stay until summer

The ship was anchored in the Little Russel for 10 days in November, having taken shelter in the Channel Islands on its way from Norway to Senegal.

Food and clothing was delivered to the crew, and she eventually left on 23 November and is now moored in Portland Port. Most of the crew have returned home for Christmas.

While she was in local waters, Guernsey authorities were reluctant to talk about the Jireh.

The Guernsey Press has obtained further details about that period through the access to information code, although there were no transcripts available of communications.

‘Regrettably, the recording system for VHF Ch12 was defective for the period in question, and attempts by the equipment agent to recover data from it have been unsuccessful,’ Guernsey Harbours head of port operations, Jerome Davis said.

‘A transcript of communication is therefore unobtainable.’

They provided a copy of the invoice from 27 November to back this up.

The API request was made the day before.

On 13 November at 1pm, Guernsey Law Enforcement officials went alongside in the Sea Fisheries Rib to establish what the Jireh was doing.

The next day at 12.10pm, Guernsey Harbours’ workboat, Sarnia, went alongside MV Jireh for about 15 minutes to deliver an aid package to the crew.

On 21 November, at about 2.30pm, the Sarnia attempted to deliver Guernsey Harbours and Guernsey Border Agency officers to MV Jireh.

‘The boarding was untenable due to weather conditions.’

The same day the crew had told the Guernsey Press that they had just nine days of supplies left so they were rationing drinking water.

Morale was low and they were concerned about just having one engine and anchor in the poor weather conditions in the Little Russel.

They wanted to shelter in St Peter Port and promised not to leave the vessel.

The call log shows that the head of port operations told Guernsey Vessel Traffic Services, which communicates with vessels in much the same way that air traffic control does with planes, on the morning of 13 November that the Jireh had been on the east coast of Jersey and that there was ‘police interest’.

He later told the staff that Jireh was not to be allowed into the harbour but should go south of Brehon Tower.

The Jireh first made contact with VTS at 10.36am, saying there were nine Russians on board, that there were no defects and that they wanted to stay until the summer.

Shortly afterwards VTS asked if they had considered Cherbourg or St Malo.

The communication that day also shows concerns about the weather as well as phone contact details being exchanged for further talks.

The next day saw communication about the Sarnia loading two-tonne bags of stuff for the Jireh.

Crew on the ship made another request to berth, apparently citing the weather, supplies and need for a crew change.

They were again told no berth was available.

The VTS log then shows its staff trying four times to contact Jireh on 20 November with no reply.

The Sark Venture was asked whether the anchor was down on the Jireh.

The next day there was communication about not having money on their phones, WhatsApp or satellite phone.

By 2pm, VTS told the Jireh that Harbour Office representatives and immigration would come out to the ship within the next hour and after that the Sarnia was on her way.

On 22 November, the Jireh was trying to make arrangements for the ITF, which represents the interests of seafarers worldwide aiming to improve their conditions, to come on board.

Boarding was arranged for Guernsey Harbour officials for the next morning.

But by 9.06am on Saturday 23 November, having earlier spoken to VTF about their intentions to look for safe haven and water and being told to try the south of England or France, she radioed to say that the anchor was up and she was under way.