The High Court of India's Odisha state has ordered authorities to send home 23 sailors from the arrested tanker Unity. Among them is a citizen of Kazakhstan, whose return is being handled by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Court ruling
As reported by Splash247, the crew was officially recognized as abandoned by the shipowner. The ruling was issued on October 6. Authorities must organize the return of the sailors and send a replacement crew to the tanker within three weeks of the ruling. Costs were recommended to be recovered from the shipowner or other responsible parties, PortNews writes. There has been no report yet that the crew has left the vessel.
What the court established
The court found that the owner did not pay the crew's wages, did not provide it with necessary supplies, and did not organize its return home. Later, the insurer repaid the debt and restored supplies, but the sailors remained on board.
In a July appeal published in the ILO and International Maritime Organization database, the captain reported a shortage of food and drinking water, deteriorating crew conditions, and expired contracts. According to him, wage arrears for May and June reached $223,533.
About the tanker
Unity arrived in Paradip in May to unload oil for Indian Oil Corporation. In court documents, its owner is listed as FMTC Ship Charter LLC.
The first arrest warrant was issued on May 11 at the request of ship fuel supplier Tresta International FZE. The company demanded $423,832 including interest and expenses. In July, it withdrew the claim, and the court canceled that warrant, but the tanker remained under arrest in other cases.
Later, insurer "Soglasie" demanded compensation of about 30.2 million Indian rupees spent on supplying the vessel and crew wages.
What relatives say
In September, the sailors' relatives also told RBC that during a storm the tanker was torn from its anchor and drifted with a non-working engine. The Russian Consulate General then stated that, according to Indian authorities, there was no threat to the crew's lives.
In September, Kursiv wrote that Kazakh diplomats are helping return a Kazakh citizen from Unity. Kazakh Foreign Ministry official spokesperson Zhanbolat Usenov said that Kazakh diplomats sent a request to the Indian side for assistance. The Foreign Ministry assured that it is keeping the situation under control.
Crew composition
Besides the Kazakh citizen, there are 20 Russians and two Egyptian citizens on board. According to relatives, some sailors have spent more than 10 months on the vessel.