KASARAGOD: Around 60 Indians are languishing on board three commercial vessels for the past five months in Indonesia after the ships were detained by the country’s navy from East of Singapore straits.
Despite the efforts of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India has not been able to get the seafarers back home.
“We are living in floating prisons for the past five months and half. With every passing day, our hope of getting back to our families is dwindling,” said Gaurav Dhoundiyal, a Delhi native and navigation officer in MT SG Pegasus. The chemical-carrying vessel owned by Hong Kong-based Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Pvt Ltd has 23 Indians on board.
MT Win Win – a bulk carrier transporting ore – has 26 crew members, of which 19 are Indians, said navigation officer Akshay Haldankar, a native of Sindhdurg, on the border of Maharashtra and Goa.
Sixteen Indian seafarers are on board MT Afra Oak, a crude oil tanker. “There were 21 Indians on board Afra Oak. Last Sunday, the Indonesian Navy released five Indians after considering their grievances. So one positive news after five months,” said an official in Indian Consul General in Medan, Indonesia. Asked how long will it take to get the sailors back home, he said the case was sub-judice and the process would take time.
The sailors are from Delhi, Bihar, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat.
Comprehensive strategic partners
India and Indonesia have a comprehensive strategic partnership, established after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jakarta in May 2018. Under the partnership, the first consular dialogue was held in Yogyakarta on July 2. During the meeting, Secretary for Overseas Indian Affairs Sanjiv Arora urged the Indonesian delegation head director-general Andri Hadi to urgently take measures to permit the Indian crew to return to India.
In a statement, the Indian Embassy said Dr Hadi promised “to accord high priority to the matter in view of humanitarian aspect and excellent bilateral relations.” Nearly three weeks on, the sailors find themselves entangled in more red tape.
‘Treated as criminals’
All this strategic partnership is doing no good to us, said Dhoundiyal. “The master of our ship Lawrence DSouza has been slapped with a criminal charge,” he said. After five months of detention of Pegasus, the Indonesian Navy filed a case in the district court at Bintan, Indonesia, and the first hearing was held on July 9. The second hearing scheduled on July 15 was postponed because the prosecution witness did not turn up.
“We don’t know when the courts will consider our case,” P K Moosa Kunju, 54, an assistant on board and a native of Uppala in Kasaragod. The navy has not even filed a case in connection with the detention of Win Win and Afra Oak, sailors said.
Moosa Kunju said, in his 25 years experience as a seafarer, never had a ship been detained by the government for so long.
False anchoring or corrupt system?
After its annual maintenance, MT SG Pegasus dropped its anchor in the outer port limit of Singapore on February 8. It was in queue to load cargo and sail out to Australia. “For the past five years, the ship has been doing the same thing,” said Moosa.
On February 9, the Indonesian navy took control of the vessel alleging it was anchored in Indonesian waters. The soldiers later escorted the ship to Batam port. Two days later, the navy boat menacingly circled MT Win Win six times, and sought entry into the ship.
“They said the vessel was in Indonesian waters,” said navigation officer Haldankar. But on the British admiralty chart, used for sailing, the place was marked as international waters. But the naval officers took the ship at gunpoint and brought it to Batam. Around eight vessels were detained by the navy. “It was white-collar hijacking,” said Haldankar.
Seafarers said five vessels were let off after they bribed the navy. “Our management refused to bribe and we are stuck here,” said Dhoundiyal, of Pegasus. Haldankar said they were asked to pay $250 to lower their own lifeboat.
“Corruption is institutionalised. We fear for our lives because our management has forsaken us and our government is not able to exert influence on Indonesia,” he said.
Seeking an exit
Six seafarers, including Moosa, onboard Pegasus sought to be repatriated on medical grounds and family emergency. “I have serious dental issues and cannot eat food. I can just have gruel,” he said. Vipinraj’s eyesight is deteriorating every day. Chief officer Pawan Kumar’s father and Sandeep Sigh Bist’s mother were hospitalised and their condition is serious. Dhoundiyal’s mother’s blood sugar shot up and was admitted to hospital.
“Initially, we were told to approach the navy for permission to go home. But the navy said since the case is in court they have to seek the public prosecutor’s permission,” said Dhoundiyal.
The public prosecutor put the ball in the judge’s court and the judge back in the court of the head of prosecution. “The head of the prosecution sought 14 days to study the file,” he said.