Dubai intervened after e-mail from the vessel seeking for urgent help
The 11-strong Indian crew aboard Samho Crown, an oil tanker stranded in Dubai waters for nearly four months, has finally heard the word of support from the Indian mission here.
The Indian Consulate in Dubai intervened after one of the Indian officers on the vessel sent an e-mail seeking urgent help from the mission to release the remaining crew aboard, more than a month after their plight started getting highlighted in the media.
The ship has been anchored some 15 nautical miles away from Port Rashid since January 28 after its Korean company Samho Shipping ran into rough weather following piracy attacks involving enormous ransoms on two of its ships.
Of the 28 officers and crew aboard Samho Crown, which has been stranded here along with Samho Dream another supertanker belonging to the same company 21 were Indians. However, 10 of them and one citizen each of Bangladesh, Georgia and Pakistan, whose contracts had ended, were allowed to sign off after the company managed to pay their salaries for February and March during the last week of April.
Since the condition of the rest of the crew remained the same without salary and medical aid, the second officer of the vessel, whose name has been withheld on request, filed a complaint with the Consulate and appealed for its intervention on Sunday.
In his e-mail, he pointed out that the vessels Dubai-based management company, International Tanker Management (ITM), has not responded to his requests to sign him off after he completed the contract period.
Moreover, we dont have any medical chest onboard and all the medicines have expired. The same was advised to ITM, but yet they havent done anything to replenish the same, he pointed out.
MP Singh, the Consul for Labour said on Monday that the Consulate had taken up the matter with the ITM to ensure the welfare, safety and early release of the crew.
Separately, efforts are continuing with the help of the Korean Consulate for early settlement of their dues from the Korean company under whose banner the vessel is operating, he said in a statement to Khaleej Times.
Senior officials of ITM have informed us that the company is trying to expedite release of three Indian crew including a second officer and have applied for visas and required documentation for them. We will continue with our efforts with ITM, the Korean company and local authorities for early settlement of the dues of the stranded Indian workers and for their safe departure to India, he added.
An ITM spokesperson said the firm was in the process of arranging a meeting with Dubai Maritime City officials to discuss ways to go about with the ship.
We had already decided to remove three people, the second officer, the fitter whose wife is sick and an able seaman who also wants to sign off. We hope to send them off in a couple of days, he said.
Meanwhile, the Filipino crew aboard Samho Dream said their families back home had brought the attention of their Overseas Welfare Department to their case by showing them KT reports.
We are still waiting for the result of their meeting since our local agency (in the Philippines) was given an ultimatum to take action to end our plight or our government will step in, in order for them to take us home. We are now hoping that we will have the result in a day or two, their e-mail said.
Source: Khaleej Times