NEW DELHI, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Eight Indian sailors have been stranded for the past several months on a ship detained at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as their passports have been confiscated by local authorities, said a media report.
The ship was detained by the UAE Coast Guard on April 15, 2016, and the passports and seaman books of the sailors confiscated.
One of the stranded sailors was quoted as saying that they were living a pathetic life and were not able to return home as they have not been given a sign off by the management of the ship. Even their salaries were pending for past several months.
The stranded sailors have sent out a video message appealing for their rescue from the ship which has been practically abandoned. The video was forwarded to the concerned authorities by a local human rights activist who works with Justice Upheld, an international humanitarian organization, reported the Times of India on Sunday.
Besides the eight Indian sailors, there is one Sudanese sailor and one Tanzania who are onboard the abandoned ship MV Azraqmoiah. The Indians hail from different states, including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, according to the newspaper.
The ship's management company Elite Way Marine Services in Abu Dhabi, has run into financial issues and thus the crew are not being paid their salaries.
The crew were said to be suffering from health issues too. They were getting only a limited amount of provisions from the Consulate General of India in Dubai, which, according to the crew, were insufficient.
Amid all this, the Federal Transport Authority of the UAE has banned the ship's commercial operations, reported the newspaper.
