Kolkata: About 25 Indian sailors including two from West Bengal are stranded on a ship off the United Arab Emirates (UAE) coast in Fujairah for the past three months.
It has been alleged that the owner of the ship had failed to clear dues for the last two and half years to the UAE government for dry docking. As a result the government has now stalled the ship, ‘Maharshi Vamadeva’.
Relatives of those stranded have approached the External Affairs Ministry and has sought Sushma Swaraj’s intervention in the matter.
It was learnt that the owner, Yudhishthir Khatau, who has an office in Mumbai, has not cleared the pending dues for dry docking in UAE in 2014. Since then several reminders were sent to him by the UAE government, to which he didn’t pay any heed.
Speaking to News18 from UAE, Sumantra Nath Bhaduri, one of the stranded sailors on the ship, said, “We are being detained for three months as the owner of our ship has not cleared his dues. We have also not received our payments for the past three months and have been facing severe water and food shortage. We are using AC condensate to take baths and the biggest concern is that the vessel has LPG cylinders.”
He added, “We have informed the local embassy and they have given us some form to fill up for our release.”
Fujairah is one of the seven emirates that make the UAE and lies along the Gulf of Oman.
Manjuri, wife of Sumantra Nath Bhaduri, who lives in Baruipur in the southern fringes of Kolkata said, “On June 17, when the ship ‘Maharshi Vamadeva’ entered UAE, the vessel was seized and all crew members, including a cook, Sandip, who is also from Bengal were detained. Their documents and passports have also been confiscated. They have been left to die on the ship.”
Manjuri further informed that the ship has been kept in Fujairah, anchored in mid-sea.
“All sailors have been asked not to de-board the ship and to follow orders in order to avoid serious legal consequences. They is shortage of food and limited supply of fuel. The temperature is harsh and they can’t even use fans or air-conditioning with no fuel.”
With no options left, the stranded sailors on Sunday uploaded photographs (with their faces covered), raising their concern on social media and seeking help.
Some Indians who came across their plight contacted Indian agencies in UAE and sought their intervention in resolving the issue.
“What is the fault of the stranded sailors? They were cheated by the owner of the ship for not informing them about the pending dues before sailing. I would like to request our External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj madam to please help them. I have already tweeted her with our concern and am yet to get a response. I heard that she is very active in resolving issues abroad and we are hopeful that she will help us,” Manjuri added.
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