For over a year, an Indian cargo ship named “MV Puravalan 1” has remained stranded in Maldivian waters.
According to the Indian news source “Times of India,” the crew, who come from Kerala and Tamil Nadu regions, have discovered themselves in an abandoned situation. Despite their efforts to appeal to the ship’s operating company for authorisation to disembark, their requests have been disregarded, leaving them stranded on the ship.
According to reports, the crew members have received their wages throughout their prolonged period onboard the vessel. The ship is currently anchored close to the My Bandharu port in Malé. The next journey for the ship will to Tuticorin.
The crew has faced difficulties trying to leave the ship, and their request for more crew members has not been met. Recent efforts to start the journey were hindered, catching the attention of Indian authorities.
“I was told more crew would join and the ship would sail to India. But no one joined even after two months. I told the management to let me off the ship, but they refused,” a crew member said.
Even with four extra crew members from Sri Lanka, the ship still couldn’t start its journey, he explained.
According to reports, many complaints were made to Indian authorities, and finally, action was taken against the company on Tuesday. The company said they would give each crew member $1,000 as compensation, according to the newspaper.
Despite rumours about supplies running low, Abdul Aziz, the MD of Puravalan Forwarders, has guaranteed that the crew’s fundamental requirements are being fulfilled, and salary disbursement is in the plan. The company attributes the ship’s predicament to an order from the Maldivian Civil Court. The Authorities gave assurances that they will be able to resume their journey to India in the near future.