Crew aboard the “Sea Ship 2” at Sharjah anchorage has faced an enquiry from its Iranian owner on the 630 MT Cargo that was delivered successfully, but with the charge of having adding 60 MT of water to its diesel cargo
Padmesh Prabhune –
What once created concerns among the families of seafarers stranded on the Ship MV Sea Ship 2 at Sharjah anchorage seems to be an ideal case of a communications-gap that has been unfolding gradually.
Thirteen Indian seafarers, employed by the once operational Navi Mumbai-based Oasis fleet Management, RPSL 162091, now blocked for RSPL violations, are reportedly stranded since the 16th March this year on the “Sea Ship 2” at Sharjah anchorage on charges of having added water to the cargo, only to be relieved in all likelihood by the end of this month-July 2025, if only the enquiry is completed as scheduled.
Vessels anchoring in Sharjah waters must obtain the necessary approvals and comply with regulations. Failure to comply can result in fines and other penalties.
With initial problems, the “Sea Ship 2” faced an enquiry from the Iranian owner, Mr. Obeda on the whole sequence of 630 MT Cargo that was delivered successfully, but with water added to the diesel cargo.
To make matters worse, the language-barrier between the owner Mr. Obeda and the 13 Indian crew, all freshers on their first voyage, dealt a blow to their morale, with the aggrieved crew pressing the panic button perhaps in a fit of rage, and complaining to the All India Seafarers Union regarding the situation.
The union in turn raised the issue with the concerned authorities, i.e., the Director General of Shipping, Government of India, and the Indian Embassy in the UAE for immediate action to ensure the safety and repatriation of the 13 Indian seafarers and sought diplomatic intervention in March this year, but to no avail for want of due process to be followed.
“We have been following the case for over three months now, as this is a matter of life and death to the seafarers aboard. These are 13 young and inexperienced Indian seafarers. The Ministry of Shipping must act immediately before this turn into an uncalled-for tragedy”, said Abhijeet Sangle, Working President, All India Seafarer & General Worker Union.
“Initially the agent did speak to us but now he does not respond to our calls, why so?” he asked.
Oasis Fleet Management’s RPS License becoming blocked lfrom 14/05/2025 added to the confusion as the union could no longer interact and /or communicate in any manner with them to pursue the case.
Phone calls and text queries made to the Owner Mr. Obeda, and the officials of the Embassy in Dubai by Marex Media while working on the story also went unanswered.
However, Marex Media in its endeavours to find the further truth spoke to one of the Delhi-Haryana based acquaintances who seems to have learnt the actual cause of the crew becoming stranded through the family members of a GP-Rating aboard.
He clarified that no untoward action has been meted out to the crew. The owner after initial enquiry have been paying them all the dues and salary and taking care of their victuals as well. He also confirmed that the CDCs and Passports of all these seafarers were presented to the embassy and it shall be returned to them to sign-off after the due process of the enquiry is completed, in all its likelihood, by the month -end.
Back home, Capt (Dr.) Daniel J Joseph, Dy. Director General of Shipping (Crew), DG Shipping, Govt. of India also confirmed about the due process. He said, “The incident is under investigation by the Directorate General of Shipping, India, and accordingly the outcome shall be known in due course of time.”
The Directorate General of Shipping issues regular advisory to Indian seafarers and their families to conduct thorough research and vetting of recruitment agencies before entering into the Seafarer Employment Agreements (SEA) and further the seafarers are advised to verify RPS agency credentials and reputation through all available sources, seeking guidance from reputable maritime organizations, seafarer unions or authorities and carefully reviewing employment terms.
Industry stalwarts suggest that patience is the key and one should wait for the outcome and not jump to any unnecessary conclusions.
Marex Media