The crew of a UAE-owned suezmax detained in Egypt for six months has revealed what they call "mental and physical torture" onboard the vessel.
In an email to TradeWinds, the seafarers from the 163,000-dwt Sea Shark (built 1991) said the ship was held by Egyptian naval forces on 17 December.
Fuel has now run out on board and the vessel is using emergency generators, he wrote.
"This has caused interruption of welfare and health services to crew to that extent that due to stoppage of electricity supply even our provision are spoiling, water storage is getting finished," they added.
"Since six month ago we are imprisoned without any reasonable ground and under mental and recently physical torture."
They added: "This is an urgent request for rescue. They have deprived the vessel from the basic requirements of life. No clean water, food or even basic hygienic material on board has put the life of vessel’s crew under serious risk."
A video supplied by the crew appears to show an Egyptian official telling them they are not under arrest, before shouting at them: "Please cooperate with us. That's enough!"
Another video shows an official shouting: "Everyone here is arrested." But he then appears to tell them they are guests.
Egypt's state information service has been contacted for comment.
Arrested in December
The ordeal began in December when Sea Shark arrived to transit the Suez Canal, but the authorities prevented this, the crew said.
"Therefore the vessel was stopped to find some solution to get cross permission. To that end the vessel left the Suez Canal anchorage and entered into international waters of Red Sea," they added.
"Due to heavy traffic of the area and in order to avoid the possibility of an accident at the passageways of the Suez Canal, the vessel was drifting as there is no possibility of anchoring due the depths of more than 600 meters. That was why unintentionally the vessel passed the marine borderline of Egypt."
The ship was arrested under a charge of entering Egypt's waters illegally.
The ministry of defence is allegedly asking for more than $56m as a penalty.
Sea Shark was moved to Berenice naval base and then to an anchorage at Ain Sukhna in April. The navy intends to order the ship in to a terminal, the master said.
The crew added the navy has ordered the discharge of the crude cargo on the grounds of a possible leak risk.
Medical help needed
They spoke of "fear and intimidation" for more than six months.
"They stated that master of the ship is no more master on board and ship does not belong to her owner and belongs to them", they said.
"Afterwards, they treated our crew in very aggressive and warlike way shouting and threatening to use force in case if crew will not follow their instructions."
Crew are not allowed to stay in their cabins and are held in rooms which are not intended as accommodation, the seafarers said.
Cabins have been used for accommodating naval personnel.
The crew has allegedly been told not to use mobile phones.
Some seafarers are suffering from hypertension, they added.
"Situation on board is very critical," they said.
"Crew lives are under danger. Crew is held as hostages until cargo will be illegally discharged by people employed by navies."
Another source told TradeWinds that the captain and two other officers were questioned for 11 days at Egyptian navy headquarters.
The cargo belongs to a private company and not a government, the source added.
The ship is owned by Al Safeena Al Bahria Shipping of the UAE.
The crew of 31 includes Ukrainians, Russians, an Azerbaijani and 11 Filipinos, Sri Lankans and Indians.
