Two Lankans among crew stranded at seas without passports, documentation

Two Sri Lankans are among a crew of 11 employees belonging to the MV Asab that has been out at sea for months and are now seeking immediate help to reach shore. 

 The distraught crew of 11 members include chief engineer Jijo Joseph from Thodupuzha in Idukki, captain Pradeep Reddy,a native of Andhra Pradesh, two Sri Lankans and a few from Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana, Manorama Online 
 

Pic courtesy Manorama Online

The ship is under Alco Shipping Services LLC owned by Sayed Isaj Hassan from Pakistan. It supplies fuel to ships anchoring on various ports. The ship, last sailing from the port of Hamriya, has been on the move for the past six months.

The crew were not given any  further directives from the company’s management after they received instructions to move to Malta for sub-contracting work. On June 2nd this year, officers from the Sharjah Coastal Security force confiscated the passports and other documents of the crew. They would return the documents if the ship’s management contacted the coast guard. The company assured the crew a retireval of their documents, however nothing has been done as yet.

Jijo and his crew cannot approach a port to set an anchor without the passport and other documents. The ship has employees with pending salaries ranging from 350 to 2500 dollars. Most have lost their patience and want to just return home, even if they have to forfeit their pending earnings.