Chennai: In a temporary relief for 25 Indian sailors stranded onboard the arrested merchant ship in Fujairah in UAE with deplorable living conditions, the Directorate General of Shipping has taken note of the issue following various complaints and media reports.
DC had reported on September 21 (Wednesday) about the Indian merchant ship-Maharshi Vamadeva, a gas carrier, arrested in the port of Fujairah by the port authorities since June this year over non payment of dues by the ship's owner- Varun shipping. The all-Indian crew - 25 of them, of which five of them including the captain are from Tamil Nadu, have been stranded in the ship for three months now with their documents confiscated by local coast guard.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the DG-shipping office is set to hold talks with all stakeholders to ensure the earliest repatriation of the stranded sailors. “This office is aware of the issue and is taking action on it,” Subhash Barguzer, Deputy Director General of Shipping told DC via email.
The sailors are the victims in the legal and financial tussle between the ship's owners, Varun shipping and the ship management company — Fleet ship management — who have hired the crew through their subsidiary — Elegant Marine services.
“We are not responsible for the dispute between owners and managers. We demand to settle our wages and repatriation back home as soon as possible,” Sumantra Nath Baduri, the ship's chief engineer said.
The ship's owners, in a press release, said that all major policy decisions are controlled by the banks now as the company is under the orders of National Company Law Tribunal.
“Despite this, the owner, Yudhishthir Khatau and the management did their best to arrange provisions, fuel and fresh water to the best ability. The management will be meeting the DG shipping, National Union of Seafarers in India and other stakeholders to resolve the issue,” a press release said adding that the owners hope to arrive at a solution by end of next month.
