HYDERABAD: Seven Indian sailors are stranded aboard an oil tanker vessel in Sharjah anchorage for the last 18 months . Their plea for help has not yielded result as yet.The sailors do not have the permission to step on to the shore. The ship, supposed to be an oil tanker, has not been deployed to any destination by the ship management due to lack of funds.The life of the seven sailors has become miserable as they cannot disembark from the ship without ship management giving them a ‘sign off’. Despite multiple requests, they have not received a ‘sign off’. They have also not received their salaries that is said to be pending for the last 16 months or more. One of the crew members of the ship has been on board for 18 months now.The Forward Seamen’s Union of India in a letter to Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj asked for help and explained the kind of situation sailors of this ship-“MT Abdul Razaq” and two other ships “MV Azraq Moiah” and “MT Tamim” are in. In the letter, Manoj Yadav, secretary general of the union mentioned that the ships are owned by Elite Way Marine Services. “The sailors are facing a lot of problems on board,” he said adding that steps should be taken to facilitate their return to the country.The sailors struggle to get the basic provisions like even water and fuel. Those onboard the vessel include ship captain Jagink Mukherjee from West Bengal who has been stranded on the ship for 18 months. The others are chief office Ram Poojan from Jalaun, Ghuarhoo Chauhan from Basanpur, S Krishna Nikathil from Kochi , Nehal Kumar from Kadoli, Pankaj Digari from Pithoragarh, and Shrikesh Rao from Gorakhpur.“The condition on board the ship is critical. We do not get enough provisions, fresh water or medicines,” said Pankaj Digari. “My brother is struggling for his life on the ship,” said Pankaj Digari’s brother Ajay Digari. He told TOI that his family was facing several financial problems.On some days there is a complete blackout for several hours as not enough diesel is supplied to the ship, the sailors said.