53 of 97 stranded Indian sailors go home

Six Sharjah Moon crew latest to return thanks to consulate and FTA efforts

The summer ordeal seems to be easing for nearly 100 Indian sailors stranded in UAE waters, with half of them sent home by Saturday.

As first reported by Gulf News, as of July 1 a total of 97 Indian sailors were languishing aboard 22 ships in UAE waters for several months.

Indian Consul General in Dubai Vipul yesterday said that 53 of them had been sent back home so far. “With the help of the FTA [the UAE’s Federal Transport Authority] and by taking up issues directly with owners and agents, we have sent back the following number of sailors from the vessels: Sharjah Moon: 6 sailors, Iba :6, Rojean: 11, Spirit :9, Inchon :3, Enjaz II: 3, Salem :3, Sea Patrol :3, Jude: 3, Shaker II :2, Ocean Grace :1, Ayah : 1, Sanad One : 1 and Sea Safe: 1 sailor,” he said in a statement to Gulf News.

Six of them from MV Sharjah Moon, who left on Saturday, were the latest to fly home after efforts of the mission in collaboration with local authorities.

In a report published on May 30, Gulf News also highlighted the plight of six Indians and one Sri Lankan aboard Sharjah Moon.

The crew had been at anchorage since July last year. Since they were not provided with food, water and fuel for several months, and their requests were not heeded by their company Alco Shipping, they docked the vessel in Sharjah’s Hamriya Port without permission on May 9 and sought the help of social worker Girish Pant to contact the Indian consulate.

While the mission provided them with provisions and managed to send back the ship’s captain Jaiprakash Badri on July 1, the five others had to wait.

Among them were 24-yearold Subith Sukumaran from Kerala, who had not seen his parents for three years, and Harendra Singh from Uttar Pradesh, whose father died last year while he was stranded on the vessel.

Shantha Rajapaksha, the chief engineer from Sri Lanka, remains alone aboard the vessel as the company is yet to appoint someone to relieve him.

Pant said it is a good sign that the company had kept its promise to the FTA to start sending the sailors home by July 20. “We hope that it will also keep its promise to send back 19 other crew members by the end of the month,” he said.