Drama after ship sinks off Indonesia: ‘We’re not guilty, yet held prisoner here’

Three Indian seafarers have been held hostage by the Indonesian authorities for the past seven months after a Gabonflagged ship MT Aashi got grounded near Nias Islands on February 15 causing serious environmental damage The seafarersrsquo union has dubbed the seafarersrsquo situation as a serious violation of the tenets of the International Labour Organisation ILO International Maritime Organisation IMO and Human Rights The union has said that Indonesian authorities have no legal rights over the seafarers who have nothing to do with the shiprsquos wreckageThe MT Aashi was carrying asphalt from Dubai to IndonesiaCrucial documents in possession of midday reveal that the three Indian seafarersmdashCaptain Sanjeev Kumar Bhaskar Chief Engineer Sanjay Kumar Pandey and Chief Officer Siyab Salammdashhave been declared innocent in the investigation carried out by Indonesian authoritiesldquoThe issue of accident and spillage is between the company and Indonesian authorities It is the responsibility and liability of the owner and Protection and Indemnity PampI Club of the vessel to compensate the damages caused by the grounding of the vessel MT Aashirdquo Abhijeet Sangle working president of All India Seafarer and General Workers Union told middayldquoThe Indonesian authorities conducted a thorough investigation in the matter and these Indian seafarers who cooperated with them in the probe have been found innocent Yet they have been held hostage because the Indonesian authorities are yet to be paid by the company for the environmental damage The Indonesian authorities have illegally kept these Indian seafarers hostage for the last seven monthsrdquo Sangle addedChief Officer Siyab Salam one of the hostagesHole in the vesselmidday spoke to one of the hostages Chief Officer Salam whose family lives in Nalasopara Recounting the grounding Salam said ldquoThe vessel was loaded with asphalt and we were heading from Dubai to Indonesia The weather condition was good till February 10 but soon it deteriorated and we noticed that the vessel was titled towards the right side Our crew inspected and learnt that there was a hole in the vessel So we moved the ship towards the coastal area in IndonesiardquoldquoAfter obtaining due permission from the Indonesian authorities on February 13 we anchored the vessel at Nias Islands where the concerned local agencies arrived and checked the damage of the ship They assured all help and they went awayrdquo Salam saidldquoOn February 13 the weather further deteriorated and Indonesian authorities did not arrive because of it By this time the vessel started to sink further It was February 17 when we decided to abandon the vessel by getting off on two lifeboats There were a total of 20 seafarers on board and we all reached the coastal area on the lifeboats Currently more than 80 per cent of the ship is submergedrdquo he addedChief Officer Siyab Salamrsquos mother Mariamma wife Samreen right and 20monthold son PicHanif PatelldquoThe Indonesian navy and coast guard received us and provided us with immediate medical attention Later the Indonesian authorities reached out and began the investigation On February 24 17 crew members were allowed to go home and we three were asked to stay back to complete their investigationrdquo Salam saidldquoOur passports have been confiscated by Indonesiarsquos immigration department and the harbour master has kept all the vesselrelated documents The Indonesian authorities have completed their investigation yet we are stuck here since Februaryrdquo Salam added Salam further claimed that he had not received his salary for the last three monthsSalamrsquos mother Mariamma Salam has been running from pillar to post to bring her son back She has also written to the Director General DG of Shipping and alleged that Salam lsquohas been held hostage illegally by the Indonesian authorities in the name of investigationrsquoldquoMy son is the only earning member in the family but he has not been paid the salary by the company My son is mentally stressed and depressed due to the traumatic situation Please bring back my sonrdquo Mariamma wrote to the DG ShippingThe All India Seafarer and General Workers Union during a meeting with the Indonesian Embassy in MumbaiSalamrsquos wife Samreen told midday ldquoIt is very difficult to manage the household We have been completely traumatised since February My husband was supposed to come back to India after this assignment Our 20monthold son has seen his father only on video callsrdquoldquoWe have been constantly trying to seek help We request the government to please help bring my husband back to India We are financially and emotionally broken by this situationrdquo Samreen addedViolation of rulesldquoAs per the Guidelines on Fair Treatment of Seafarers in the Event of Maritime Accident no lsquoseafarers should be held hostage pending the resolution of a financial disputersquo We have been following this issue for the last seven months and we have also met the officials at the Indonesian Embassy in Mumbai These officials had assured us of releasing the seafarersrdquo Sangle told middayldquoWe are also in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and the office of DG Shipping We have also met them four times since June They also assured help but nothing has been done so farrdquo Sangle addedPresident of the Union Sanjay Pawar first on left Working President Abhijeet Sangle second from left and General Secretary Amar Singh Thakur third from right with Indonesian Embassy officials in MumbaildquoThe seafarers have been held back by Indonesian authorities to complete their investigation into the shiprsquos wreckage which is causing environmental damage The local police coast guard port authorities etc have not found the Indian seafarers responsible for any damage But the vessel owner has yet to fulfil the demands of Indonesian authorities Holding the Indian seafarers hostage is a violation of the ILO and the IMO as per the guidelinesrdquo Sangle told middayldquoThe owner of the vessel has not disclosed the amount demanded by the Indonesian authorities for the environmental damagerdquo said Sangle According to sources the Aashi Shipping Company has written to the Far East PampI Services on August 13 informing them that the owners are not in a position to carry out the defuelingbunker removal They have left it to the PampI to execute the same The owners have also declared the vessel as Constructive Total Loss CTL and requested PampI to handle the issues accordinglyAction by authorities so farldquoOn August 15 the Acting Director General of Sea Transportation Indonesia sent a notice to the Maritime Administration of Gabonese Republic ship owner the manageroperatorAl Phoenix Ship Management Fze UAE PampI Insurers and the agents about the grounded vessel and its current condition The Indonesian side has informed them to take the required action for the removal of the vessel removal of oil and asphalt from the vessel prevention of further pollution etc as it may have a serious impact on Indonesian waters and coastline They have also suggested them to contactcoordinate with the Director for Sea and Coast Guard and Local Harbour Master of LahewaNorth Nias to provide regular updatesrdquo said the sourceldquoOn August 21 a virtual meeting comprising all stakeholders including a representative of the shiprsquos owner the insurance company DG Shipping of India the Officer of Indonesian Sea Transportation Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of India in Jakarta the Consulate General of India in Medan etc was held During the meeting the embassy raised the issue of the repatriation of the three seafarers and requested Indonesian authorities not to link the matter with ship salvage as it is the responsibility of the owner and the insurance company and they have shown their intent to carry out the samerdquo said an official from DG Shipping requesting anonymityldquoThe Embassy of India in Jakarta and Consulate General of India in Medan are making best efforts and have been coordinating with concerned authorities for early repatriation of three crew members to Indiardquo said the official