Editorial
Left helpless
Crew of detained cargo ship must be rescued
The unfortunate state of the 24 crew members of a Bangladeshi-owned cargo ship detained in India for the last five months shows, yet again, what irresponsibility, corruption and lack of accountability can do. The captain and crew have been left without adequate food, water and fuel for the last two weeks which the owner company's agent has stopped supplying due to pending payments, while the ship is being detained due to its lack of safety measures and the owner's unpaid dues to India and Sri Lanka.
The ship had been denied departure clearance as it did not comply with the safety measures owing to which, along with the matter of unpaid dues, there was a case pending with the Admiralty court of Mumbai High Court. The very court had issued the detention order. Neither is this the first time, for the ship's captain has claimed that in late 2010, it had been detained for four months and released on a false declaration.
The crew has not been paid in seven months, has trouble communicating with their family members and is now running out of supplies of basic necessities. Meanwhile, the Department of Shipping has not only denied knowledge of the case but also claimed that it is helpless in terms of rescuing the crew unless appropriate relievers are provided to man the vessel.
It is high time the government steps in to rescue the innocent crew members who are not in the least responsible for their owner's fraudulence. The owner, who is said to be in Singapore, must be held to account and not only in this case but other such cases must be taken up by the relevant authorities so that such gross fraud and corruption by those in positions of power does not cause suffering to others.
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