Crew left in a desperate condition for several weeks with no potable water and no power
Dubai authorities have rescued the crew of an oil tanker abandoned off the emirates coast with no electricity or water when their employer went bankrupt.
The DREAM oil tanker was one of three ships which were abandoned off the coast of Dubai when the firms owners, SAMHO Shipping, filed for bankruptcy.
Crew on the Korean tanker were left in a desperate condition for several weeks with no potable water and no power for refrigeration of food, cooking, communications, or navigation, Dubai authorities said.
Crew were also unable to communicate with onshore officials and were only able to radio for help to ships anchored nearby.
In a mission coordinated by Dubai Port Police and Dubai Maritime City Authority, crew were rescued from the ship and brought ashore for medical attention.
The crew were already in an adverse condition with a few reporting weight loss, and dizziness, we had to act swiftly for them to be brought ashore and cared for in line with Dubais safety and territorial regulations, said Khalid Meftah, director of maritime corporate development at DMCA.
The DMCA confirmed it had been in contact with the ships owner, who has now repatriated the crew to their respective home countries and is now working with the DMCA to settle any further legal obligations.
Prior to its bankruptcy, SAMHO Shipping set a new world record for payments to pirates when it was forced to pay out $9.5m in ransom when around 50 Somali pirates armed with AK47s, 45-caliber pistols, and rocket propelled grenades boarded the MT Samho Dream and held it hostage in April 2010.
Source: Arabian Business