A trawler owner who denies that migrant fisherman worked 20-hour days on his boat has said it was barely worth setting nets at night because prawns “don’t like the dark”.

Richard Brannigan, the owner and operator of the Howth-based prawn boat Nausicaa, was giving evidence on Monday to the Workplace Relations Commission in response to statutory complaints by three of his former crew.

Fishermen Khaled Elagamy, Mohamed Shokr Ghonim and Salem Elfeky brought complaints under the Payment of Wages Act, the National Minimum Wage Act and the Terms of Employment Information Act against Mr Brannigan.

Their trade union, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), has argued that the statutory working time records for the vessel are inaccurate and that they they are collectively owed about 140,000 – having been underpaid for long working hours at sea over several years.

A solicitor for Mr Brannigan says Naval Service vessel-monitoring data has been obtained “unlawfully” by the trade union – and that commercial location data which the men’s representative has sought to introduce in evidence cannot be relied upon.

At the opening of Monday’s hearing, the tribunal was told that Mr Elfeky was away at sea and unable to attend to progress his claim. The trawler owner’s solicitor also conceded that Mr Elagamy was owed three days’ pay for public holidays in 2021.

However, Mr Brannigan denies the other breaches of employment law alleged by the complainants and maintains that all...

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