Crewmen of Troubled Israeli Freighter Strike, Halt Unloading of Cargo

Crewmen of the Israeli freighter Avocado core went on strike today and refused to permit German longshoremen to unload a cargo of bananas that the 5,955 ton motorship brought here from Central America yesterday. The strike was the latest in a series of crew troubles that has plagued the vessel since last Thursday when her master called the Israel Embassy in London by wireless phone to report that “a rebellion” had broken out at sea among 11 of the 45 crew members. That “rebellion” — or mutiny — caused the Avocado core to make an unscheduled call at Dover, England, where harbor police were alerted when she dropped anchor a mile off port late Monday afternoon. The ship was boarded by Consul Shlomo Levy, who was sent by the Israel Embassy, and a representative of the Israel Seamen’s Union who flew in from Haifa. But the troubles were not resolved and the vessel sailed.

According to Astramaris, West German steamship agency which represents Israel Maritime Fruit Carriers Ltd., of Haifa, owners of the Avocado core, the master reported all quiet aboard. But eight crew members were reported determined to strike and the rest of the crew did not interfere. Meir Ayalon, the Israeli Consul General in Bonn, flew here to talk to the crew but stressed that no force would be used against the strikers. If the bananas are not unloaded, the ship’s owners face a considerable financial loss.

The strike and the earlier unrest aboard the vessel appear to stem from an inter-union dispute. Some crew members demand an independent union. The Israeli Seamen’s Union is affiliated with Histadrut, Israel’s labor federation. Press reports from Dover yesterday said that Mr. Levy and the union representative were held aboard the ship against their will for 90 minutes. A statement by the Israeli Embassy in London denied this but admitted that some crewmen had been abusive to the union representative. The Embassy said that the Avocado core’s final destination was Finland.