New Delhi: The 39 Indian sailors stranded in Chinese waters on two merchant ships for three to seven months, because of deteriorating China-Australia ties, are being counselled for severe mental distress, an official of the National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) has said.
Abdulgani Serang, general secretary, National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI), Friday told ThePrint that the sailors are caught in the middle of a “trade war” between China and Australia and that the union had been counselling the sailors over phone.
“I personally spoke to the sailors on both ships. The biggest challenge is their state of mind,” he said. “The combination of stress, uncertainty and worrying about their families has made life on board tense.”
Earlier this week, videos of the stranded sailors describing life on board as “jail-like” and holding placards pleading to go home emerged online. Due to a decline in drinking water quality, mental health issues and no medical support, the crew facing problems, MV Anastasia’s second officer, Gaurav Singh, was reported to have said
A Directorate General of Shipping spokesperson, however, told ThePrint that it could not confirm claims that four crew members on the MV Jag Anand, one of the vessels, are on suicide watch.
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The stranded sailors
The 39 stranded sailors are spread over two ships — 23 are on Jag Anand, owned by Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping Company Limited, and 16 on MV Anastasia, owned by Isle of Man-based Hyacinth Shipping Company Limited. Jag Anand has been in anchorage near Jingtang port in Hebei province since 13 June and MV Anastasia in anchorage near Caofeidian port since 20 September.
The two ships were transporting coal from Australia to China. But ever since they were refused permission by Chinese authorities to offload their cargo and leave on grounds of Covid-19-related restrictions, they have been languishing in Chinese waters.
Observers pointed out that other ships which came into Chinese waters after the Jag Anand and MV Anastasia had been let off by Chinese authorities, indicating that the India-China military standoff in Ladakh, which escalated in June, may have begun to play a role in the matter. Last week, China denied any “link” between the situation of the stranded ships and its strained relations with India and Australia.
When asked why the ships have not been allowed to unload, the Director-General of Shipping, Amitabh Kumar told ThePrint Friday, “That is up to the Chinese authorities to answer.”
He said the companies had formally asked the Chinese government for a resolution and that diplomatic talks are underway.
On Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs called on the shipping companies to submit their plans for crew change at the earliest for approval by local Chinese authorities.
China has, meanwhile, blamed the shipping companies for not wanting “to adjust their plans owing to commercial interests”.
Around mid-December, China officially announced a ban on Australia’s $14 billion coal imports after which Australian PM Scott Morrison accused Beijing of violating international trade rules.
Serang, however, told ThePrint that ships carrying Australian coal began facing problems with China “much before”.
’15-18 other ships in Jingtang port also stranded’
The process of offloading cargo and leaving the port normally takes one ship about one week. When it approaches a port, a chartering agent is informed while the ship stays in anchorage for a few days. Port authorities then give the ship a berth to offload cargo after which it leaves. However, Jag Anand and MV Anastasia have so far not been given a berth to offload.
A spokesperson from Great Eastern Shipping Company Limited said Jag Anand cannot leave the port without permission from the cargo owner, who is Chinese, or else the company could be penalised. “We offered to sail to Japan on our own costs, do a crew change and get back into the queue but the cargo owner said no,” he said.
The company also said its first priority is securing a crew change. “We are prepared for a crew change but awaiting necessary approvals to leave the port,” the spokesperson said. “We are also awaiting instructions from the cargo owner to offload the cargo in another country or another port if it cannot be completed in Jingtang.”
Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs said other ships, which arrived after the two stranded ones, have managed to discharge cargo and leave but “the reasons for this are not clear (sic)”.
According to The Great Eastern Shipping Company Limited, there are 15-18 other ships in Jingtang port carrying the same Australian coal that have also not been allowed to offload and leave.
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Shipping company says ‘close to resolution’, oppn slams govt
The Great Eastern Shipping Company Limited, which has been providing food, water and aid to the stranded sailors, says it is close to a resolution, according to a source in the firm.
“If it was an empty ship (Jag Anand), it wouldn’t be a problem, but it has cargo that we don’t own,” the source added.
According to industry estimates, Jag Anand is carrying cargo worth upwards of USD 15 million.
Meanwhile, the opposition has hit out at the Modi government over the issue. In a letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar Thursday, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called the sailors “sacrificial lambs” and in a letter to PM Modi Wednesday, Congress MP and leader of opposition Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury requested a “concerted effort” towards rescuing them.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also told reporters this week, “Shame on this government that you’re not able to get them back. If 39 Indian sailors are in captivity in China…forget about them, you are not able to retrieve that 1,000 sq km of land that China has occupied of Indian territory.”
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