Crew held in India may soon be released

China’s consulate general in Kolkata announced on Monday that the 23 Chinese crew members on a cargo ship detained more than a month ago at India’s Haldia port could probably go home soon.

The freighter Union Demeter, owned by Nanjing Tranvast Holdings, was detained by order of a court in Mumbai in December after the company failed to pay refueling expenses. Soon after the detention, the shipowner declared bankruptcy, leaving the crew members helpless on the ship.

“With the joint efforts of all sides, progress has been made for resolving relevant problems. We believe that the crew members can go back home soon,” the consulate general said on its website.

Consul-General Ma Zhanwu has maintained close contact with the ship’s captain, Dai Xiaosong, about the situation on the ship, and three diplomats including Cai Zhifeng, deputy consul-general, have boarded the ship to see the crew members, according to the statement.

Indian government authorities said they will take unspecified measures to facilitate the crew members’ return home, the statement said.

In a photo online, the sailors hold banners that say in English: “We need help. We want to home. We want our salary.”

The case drew public attention after Captain Dai called Jiangsu News Radio on Sunday to ask for help and said that if there was no other company to take over the cargo ship, the Indian government would not release the crew. The food, drinking water and fuel supplies on board were nearly used up, he said, adding that the sailors were at high risk for dengue fever.

The sailors told Jiangsu News Radio they haven’t been paid for five months and the total unpaid wages reached 1.5 million yuan ($218,000).

In a photo circulated on Jiangsu News Radio’s micro blog, the sailors stand on the ship’s deck and hold banners, on which they have written in English: “We need help. We want to home. We want our salary.”

Han Lei, general manager of Yuanteng Shipping Co, which hired the sailors, said the best solution would be for the ship’s owner to pay for the release of the crew and the berth, and then to sell the ship to resolve its financial problem.

But the shipowner has refused to contact the crew’s employer to talk about the issue, said Han, and the cost of berthing the ship at the port has been in the tens of thousands of dollars per day.

China Daily was unable to reach the ship owner for comment as of press time.

Kong Lingming, a sailor at a shipping company in Quanzhou, Fujian province, said each sailor has insurance based on the Maritime Labor Convention, and the insurance company will pay the sailors and take over the ship if the shipowner continues to refuse to resolve the problem.

However, Kong said, “such a process will take a long time,” and the consulate general’s help will make it possible for the sailors to go home sooner.