Two Russian tankers were detained in the port of the emirate of Sharjah (UAE), the sailors are ready to give an SOS signal.
Dubai, UAE. Arrested at the suit of Gazprombank, the Russian-flagged Crystal East vessel, which is located in the port of Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with seven Russian sailors on board, will send an SOS signal to draw the attention of the port authorities to its life support problem.
In a few days, the tanker will run out of fuel, after which it will be de-energized, the refrigeration units will be turned off, and food will deteriorate. Currently, seafarers' passports are seized by the coast guard.
According to the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, which has been dealing with this issue since August 1 of this year, a ship belonging to the Russian company Nakhodka-Portbunker has been arrested due to financial debt to Gazprombank.
The crew turned to the Consulate General for help in returning to Russia. Local authorities do not object to the change of crew, but it can only be carried out after the arrest is removed from the vessel, which, in turn, depends on the agreement of the shipowning company with Gazprombank and the agency companies of the Sharjah emirate.
The Consulate General found out that another ship of Nakhodka-Portbunker LLC - Carolina Wind - was on the roadstead in the port of Sharjah: ship documents were expired due to the bankruptcy of the company, and the vessel could not leave the port. Onboard there are six crew members, the fuel reserve is left for six days (according to data on October 18).
As noted in the diplomatic mission, "the management of Nakhodka-Portbunker LLC has practically withdrawn from solving the problems of its sailors." At the same time, Gazprombank does not intend to make concessions. Debt to the port of Sharjah is over US $ 85 thousand. The Consulate General explained that the mission has no resources to solve the "financial problems of shipowners and resolve their differences with creditors".
