I was charged a departure fee, although it was tolerable. The office sometimes forgot about me for a week and then expected me to complete everything within three days.
I have worked on ro-ro vessels through Akmar for about ten years. So far, I have had no complaints.
I worked through Akmar about three years ago and was sent to Angola on a bunkering vessel operated by Greek shipowners. The crew was not paid and was effectively abandoned. The vessel was later arrested in Ghana, and we eventually recovered the money through the ITF. After we left, the master and chief engineer remained on board waiting to be paid; the master later died from malaria and alcohol-related causes.
I worked under a captain who reported that some of my documents had been lost and told me I could do whatever I wanted. The crewing company ignored my report about the missing documents. The captain was aggressive, shouted at the crew, and made unfounded complaints, making the contract extremely difficult.