Stranded sailors: 'Mt Iba' tanker crew to leave Dubai on repatriation flights


Nick Webster
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The crew of the abandoned merchant tanker Mt Iba are set to fly home to their families after four years stranded in the Gulf.

Sailing into Dubai Maritime City (DMC) port marked an end to a ordeal that made headlines around the world.

The Mt Iba, a 5,000-tonne Panama-flagged shipping vessel, washed ashore in Umm Al Quwain in January after breaking free from its anchorage in rough weather.

The ship had sat anchored off the UAE coast since 2017 after owners Alco Shipping hit financial problems.

Our bodies are damaged and our minds are damaged. But we are not angry anymore, we just want this to end

It was finally sold in March, so the crew could be paid 80 per cent of what they were owed, amounting to about $170,000.

Now the five crew members – three from India, one from Pakistan and another from Myanmar – can finally return home on flights after arriving in Dubai.

First engineer Nay Win, 53, said all crew members hope to get on repatriation flights over the next week.

"I have spoken to my family in Myanmar, there is a lot of trouble there, but I just want to go home," he told The National, seated in the ship's cramped mess hall.

“I am looking forward to cooking some vegetables with my family.

“I have been told there is a repatriation flight to Myanmar on May 11.

“I am tired, and have no energy left to work onboard this ship. When I go home, I will retire from the sea,” he said.

The coronavirus pandemic has put the spotlight on the plight on seafarers and merchant ship sailors, their vulnerability and the shortcomings in international shipping laws and standards.

The physical affects of living in such a harsh environment for so long are beginning to show.

Second engineer Vinay Kumar, 31, and the ship’s cook Monchand Sheikh, 26, have complained of skin rashes and painful blisters caused by the heat, sea air and salt that covered the ship.

Mr Sheikh, who wanted to earn enough money to build his parents a home, gets persistent headaches and has difficulty sleeping.

“Pain in the back of my head comes and goes, I want to see a doctor when I [get] onto land,” he said.

“Our bodies are damaged and our minds are damaged.

“We look like stone, but we are not angry anymore, we just want this to end.”

The men will get a health check as per maritime protocols once they end their contracts.

Each member has also had to deal with heartbreaking family issues, thousands of miles from home.

While second engineer Riasect Ali’s wife needed cancer treatment, Mr Kumar lost his grandmother last month to Covid-19 in India.

The tanker washed ashore in Umm Al Quwain on January 21, but its new owners took weeks to recover the vessel and refloat it so it could return to sea.

Counselling for sailors

It spent several more weeks at anchorage while the crew’s paperwork was completed.

All of the crew members are returning to an uncertain world and without UAE residency papers they are not eligible for a vaccine before they fly.

Psychological counselling will be offered from the Mission to Seafarers charity to help them reintegrate into their families.

“It took a lot longer to remove from the beach than we thought,” said Mr Kumar, who is looking forward to playing cricket with his son Mukund, three, and daughter Nabia, six.

“They used one tug boat at first and when that didn’t work they brought in a second boat that also became stuck.

“We thought we would never leave. When we could finally return to sea it was a huge relief for us all.

“I was sleeping and I felt the ship shaking. It woke me up and when we started to move it was an incredible feeling.

“When we sailed into Dubai this week, it was like seeing the gates of heaven. We know now that we will be home soon," he said.

“Hopefully, nothing else will go wrong and we can sign off.”

The youngest of the crew, Nirmal Singh Bora, is just 22 and had taken his first job at sea on board the Mt Iba.

An international document to support seafarers when owners abandon a ship has been created by UK lawyers supported by international charity Human Rights at Sea.

The 24-page charter is designed to help sailors resolve their legal status, but does not recommend any amendments to current maritime laws.

“For too long seafarers have been treated like commodities, rather than human beings,” said Andy Bowerman, regional director for the Mission to Seafarers in Dubai.

“There are international maritime laws and some of these common issues can be resolved under existing legislation.

“There are conversations going on about how to change the maritime legislation in the Gulf to ensure seafarers are given priority over other creditors."

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Results

Men's finals

45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.

51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. ​​​​​​​54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.

57kg: Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) RSC round 3. 60kg: Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 30-27.

63.5kg: Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE) 29-28. 67kg: Narin Wonglakhon (THA) beat Mohammed Mardi (UAE) 29-28.

71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg:​​​​​​​ Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).

81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.

91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.

Women's finals

45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.

51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.

57kg: Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Zahra Nasiri Bargh (IRI) 30-27. 60kg: Kaewrudee Kamtakrapoom (THA) beat Sedigheh Hajivand (IRI) TKO round 2.

63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).

The biog

Age: 46

Number of Children: Four

Hobby: Reading history books

Loves: Sports

What is Folia?

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.

Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."

Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.

In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love". 

There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.

While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."

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Points to remember
  • Debate the issue, don't attack the person
  • Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
  • Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
  • Listen actively without interrupting
  • Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions