The families of three crewmembers of Merchant Vessel (MV) Rak Carrier, that sank in August 2011, are having a tough time back home, as the shipping company has stopped paying their salaries and the families are making their ends meet by borrowing money.
“The captain of the ship, Arkan Abdal Malik Khaleel, a Jordanian national has two kids — the younger one is now one-and-a-half years old,” said Dinesh Mota, lawyer of the crew.
When asked about the payment by the shipping company, he replied, “We have not got any salaries for the last eight months and this is our ninth month here in Mumbai.”
“Our families are penniless now, all our savings have been used up, and they are surviving by borrowing money. For how long will this go on?” said Humka Bin Ada, an Indonesian and crewmember of MV Rak Carrier.
Similarly, chief officer Inonefcu Ion, a Romanian, has a father, mother, wife and children, who are awaiting his return.
On Wednesday, the Bombay high court had directed that the three crewmembers of MV Rak Carrier should be repatriated to their respective countries.
Currently, the crewmembers are living at the Seamen’s Club near Ballard Estate and all three of them are the only earning members of their families.
According to Mr Mota, once they return to their respective countries, they may have to file a case against their shipping company to claim their salary of the last eight months, as well as compensation.
MV Rak Carrier had sunk on August 4, 2011 and maritime security agencies — Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy had rescued its 30 crewmembers.
As per the report of Directorate-General Of Shipping, the vessel had structural weakness, while the Yellow Gate police had booked a case against the captain and chief officer for endangering the lives of crewmembers due to their rash and negligent actions.