Photo credit: Indian Navy

CHENNAI: After months of distress calls and knocking on multiple doors for help, the crew of Indian merchant ship Maharshi Vamadeva, detained at the Fujairah port in United Arab Emirates , will "abandon ship" on July 31, the captain has said.

By the end of the month, the 18-member crew will be left with no food or drinking water, master of the vessel Captain Kumar Krishna said.

The vessel, a gas carrier, was detained by Fujairah port authorities over a year ago for alleged non-payment of dues by ship owner Varun Global, a company under liquidation due to bankruptcy.

The present batch joined the vessel in February this year after the initial crew was evacuated following protests.

"We have decided to abandon the ship on July 31, 2018 (Tuesday) early morning. By July 31, it will be a complete month living in blackout condition. Also, by this date we will be left with no food and even drinking water," master of the vessel Captain Kumar Krishna told PTI over a mail.

The mail has also been marked by various ministries in the government.

The captain had earlier said the health of the 18 crew members on board was deteriorating fast with rapid weight loss, high stress and multiple ailments.

The present batch of 18, managed by Gurgaon-based Darya Shipping Agency, have alleged that they had limited access to essentials like food and water and have not been paid their full wages.

Darya Shipping Agency CEO Rajesh Deshwal said it was impossible to retain any crew on board under the present circumstances.

"All crew will sign off and we will not be responsible for this vessel under these dangerous conditions and no support from the stakeholders. The UAE authorities have given their consent to evacuate the ship completely," Deshwal told PTI.

Varun Global, the primary owner of the ship, could not be contacted.

Family members and others have written to various authorities, including the Directorate General of Shipping, the Indian embassy in UAE and the external affairs ministry, seeking their intervention.

The company, Deshwal had said earlier, was made to sign a contract by the Insolvency Resolution Partner (IRP), appointed by the National Company Law Tribunal to take over the insolvent company on behalf of the bank and manage all activities of the company.

"They asked us to take over a vessel, owned by State Bank of India which was the lead mortgagee bank for the vessel. We said we cannot unless we are paid. So SBI called us, signed a contract and told us they will make regular payments. They made an initial remittance of around Rs 1 crore too. Once the crew was there, they stopped payment and said they wouldn't make any payment until the vessel is sold," he alleged.

SBI had not responded to an email sent for comments.

