The crew of one cargo ship may have never been happier to step ashore.
Nearly a dozen workers aboard the 1,090-dwt Aegean Princess (built 1980) have been able to return home after being stuck on the Panamanian-flagged ship for 17 months.
The 11 workers were trapped on the vessel in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, due to a wage dispute between their ship's operator and owner.
The ship is owned by Dubai-based Vihaan Trading, according to Clarksons.
The crew, from India and Mayanmar, and the ship were abandoned in June 2016, the International Transport Workers' Federation reported.
The saga still continues for the crew, however, as it is still owed $916,000 in unpaid wages going back to 2015.
"This has been a difficult case, and in the end we were helped to conclude it by UAE Federal Transport Authority," ITF inspector Mohamed Arrachedi said.
The UAE is working toward full compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention, and Panama helped to resolve the issue," he said.
"There is never an excuse for seafarers to be abandoned like this, it is a scourge that has to stop, and it has to stop now," he said.
