Mumbai: 42 seafarers refuse to get off ship fearing non payment of dues

Fortytwo seafarers have refused to disembark a ship caught in a legal tangle and abandoned by its owners for all practical purposes for almost a month now fearing they will not be paid their dues if they leave the vesselAs per a report in Mumbai Mirror the crew of M V Karnika operated by Jalesh Cruises said on Friday that they had power backup to last only 36 hours after which they will not be able to even charge their mobile phones For the past week they have survived on cornflakes for breakfast paanipuri for lunch and burgers for dinner as food stock is depleting fastDirector General Shipping Amitabh Kumar said the dire situation onboard M V Karnika has been brought to his notice ldquoI received complaints on Thursday about nonpayment of dues to the crew The situation is quite bad I will send officers of my Marine Mercantile Department to the ship to conduct an investigationrdquo he saidApart from being placed under arrest by the Bombay Port Trust following nonpayment of dues the cruiseliner is also under arbitration at the Bombay High Court HC because of unpaid bills to vendors The crew members who were called to carry routine maintenance after the ship docked in August were kept in the dark about the legal troubles by Mumbai Kharbased Campbell Shipping Pvt Ltd which holds the recruitment and placements services license for the vessel The crew has not been paid since August and according to them the total arrears stand at over 227986 roughly Rs 166 croreRenold Albert Correia 40 from Vasai who is employed as an engine fitter on the ship said he has two kids eight and five ldquoMy father calls me every day There are expenses to be met I canrsquot even go home and be with my family If I leave the ship I will never get my arrearsrdquo he saidWith no airconditioners or ceiling fans operating the lavish cruiseliner said Vikrant Thakur a crew member has turned into a hot plate Thakur 28 a resident of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh who works as engine utility said the crew is unable to follow any safety protocols because of lack of power ldquoIf a cyclone hits we will be sitting ducksrdquo he saidSayeed Anwar 37 a resident of Vashi who is employed as a fitter said the company promised him 1910 roughly Rs 139 lakh a month ldquoI have not been paid a penny My biggest fear is a blackout and we are just 36 hours from it It is a scary situationrdquo he saidAs per the Seafarerrsquos Agreement a sailorrsquos salary must be credited before the 30th of every month Crew members said the shiprsquos executive committee comprising the master the chief officer and the chief engineer had a conference call with managers of Campbell Shipping on September 25 where everybody was advised to be patient However on Wednesday word arrived that all payments will be decided by the courtIn a statement released late on Friday evening M V Karnika said the dues of vendors mounted because of the devastation wrought upon the cruise industry by the COVID19 pandemic ldquoOperations were at a standstill since March leading to mounting debts These creditors arrested the ship through the Admiralty Courtrdquo the statement said adding that the management ldquowould like to reassure the crew and their families that we have not forgotten about them We have asked for urgent indulgence with the relevant authorities and are waiting for their feedback In addition we assure our crew members that they will receive their salaries as soon as the funds are received Main priority is to reunite the crew with their familiesrdquoKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news