Asia/Pacific News
Vessel Stranded Since 2010 Arrested, Brought Ashore
Officials in the Indian port of Chennai have arrested and brought ashore a Korean vessel that had been stranded off the coast since December 2010, with starving sailors on board, the Times of India reports.
OSM Arena's owner abandoned it following a business dispute, and last December its anchor broke during Cyclone Thane, and it drifted away.
The ship was carrying 400 tonnes of bunker fuel, and 14 Myanmarese sailors, who were found to be starving in inspections by the Coast Guard and shipping ministry officials, were on board.
The International Transport Workers Federation said it would seek permission from the immigration department to bring the sailors, who had received assistance from seafarers unions and court interventions in past months, onshore temporarily for medical attention.
"The vessel is still in bad shape. Power was restored recently, but anchors, engines and life-saving equipment, including signals, are not functioning," said a senior port official.
Chennai Port Trust department chairperson P.C. Parida said the vessel will be in custody of the port, with charges levied from the vessel operator.
The vessel already owes the port more than $188 million for remaining in the outer anchorage, and port authorities had refused to bring it into the port previously because there was no one to pay the berthage charges.
Shipping authorities had previously moved the ship within the port to protect other vessels from damage, according to the Deccan Chronicle.
