The owners of the Merchant Brilliant, which has been moored off the west English coast for the past 42 hours are travelling to Belfast to collect arrears of pay for the crew.
Yesterday, the mainly Russian crew members of the ship, which was previously detained in Dublin Port for non-payment of wages, barricaded themselves in the ship claiming they were owed arrears.
Today, International Transport Federation (ITF) inspector Ken Fleming, who is aboard the Merchant Brilliantwith the crew, said that delays in paying the crew were now primarily the responsibility of Norfolk Lines, the company that leased the vessel from Russian owners ADG Shipmanagement.
He said he had no indication of when the crew would be paid, but the earliest would be tomorrow.
"I understand that ADG Shipmanagement paid over the arrears to Norfolk Lines as early as 11am on Tuesday, when the Merchant Brilliantwas still in Heysham port, but Norfolk Lines transferred the funds to Belfast," said Mr Fleming.
"It [Norfolk Lines] says it is impossible to transfer the funds back to Heysham and insisted that the crew of the Merchant Brilliant sail the ship back to Belfast, even though it was at Norfolk Lines request that the crew sailed the vessel, under protest, from Belfast on Sunday night to be paid in Heysham," he added.
It was Mr Fleming's investigation on the ship on Sunday that brought to light the crew's arrears. The crew agreed to Norfolk Lines request to sail to Heysham, on the Lancashire coast, under protest and accompanied by Mr Fleming. However on arrival at Heysham, Norfolk Lines suspended their leasing of the vessel and the Merchant Brilliant was ordered to leave Heysham port by the harbour master.
Earlier today, Norfolk Lines asked the crew to sail to Belfast to collect their arrears, but the crew refused to get involved in "a game of musical chairs".
Last December, the beneficial owner of the company, ADG Shipmanagement, agreed to pay crew members arrears of €153,000 after the High Court had arrested the ship when the ITF had discovered the arrears.
In a similar case last November, the crew of the Brilliant'ssister ship, Merchant Bravery,were also awarded arrears of €122,971 by an Irish court.