TAMIM ALDAR

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Three ships of the same company abandoned off Sharjah

40 crew members, among them 30 Indian nationals, have been stranded at the port of Sharjah for over three years on three separate vessels, all owned by the same shipping company, the Dubai-based Elite Way Marine Services EST. The crew abandonment was reported to England-based maritime charity organization Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) by Captain Ayyapan Swaminathan, Master of UAE-flagged "Azraqmoiah", who has been left stranded on the vessel since the expiration of his contract. A similar fate was shared by the seafarers on board the deck cargo m/v "Tamim Aldar" and the "Al Nader", who were left without salaries, basic provisions, shore leave and have no communication with their families. The seafarers had their documents confiscated by the UAE authorities, depriving the mariners from the right to leave the country. In addition to poor living conditions, the "Al Nader" was experiencing power outages due to lack of fuel and was involved in a collision in October 2018 as the crew was forced to keep the ship in blackout condition. The Federal Transport Authority (FTA) of UAE has been made aware of the case and has since taken legal action and banned Elite Way Marine Services EST in UAE on the grounds of seafarer abandonment. The case was filed on Aug 26, 2018. The owner and managers of the ships told the authority that they planned to sell the ships to resolve the issue, however, they have failed to do so until now. The captain of the "Azraqmoiah" sent another letter to FTA in November 2018, describing the dire situation of the seafarers and the danger they are facing due to night-time blackouts resulting from the lack of fuel.